REVIEW: Dollhouse by Anya Allyn

The DARK CAROUSEL series is a heart-stopping saga, a mix of the chill of American Horror Story and the fantastical elements of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

A dark presence is collecting girls, deep in the forest. Two girls have vanished, and now a third. Cassie and her friends desperately search the forest for their friend, who went missing on a hike. When they find vintage dolls hanging from strings on branches, they should have turned back.
But they didn't.

The dolls lead to a crumbling mansion. Beneath the mansion lies a macabre, life-sized dollhouse that is controlled by a terrifying being. In the dollhouse, you must dance until your feet bleed, sit on the toy shelf if you're bad, and if you've been very bad, you are sent to the toy box - a pitch-dark cavern that contains beings beyond nightmares.
And now there is no escape.

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NOTE: The ebook is free on both Amazon and B&N

MY THOUGHTS
I originally read this book in 2014, but after trying to read the sequel, I decided to refresh my memory by rereading the first book. (Note: I found out later that this book had been updated. I reread the original version) The first time I read this book it got 4 stars, but I dropped it to 3.5 stars the second time. It's still a pretty good gothic/horror story.

When Cassie's friend Aisha goes missing, Aisha's boyfriend Ethan is the one people blame for her disappearance. Cassie knows that Ethan had nothing to do with it (although, she admittedly has a crush on him), so she decides to help clear his name. She, along with Ethan and another friend, Lacey, go back to the last place they saw her: In the woods, by a creepy, old mansion. They see no sign of her until they find a secret entrance leading underneath the mansion. They find a cavern full of circus memorabilia-- a carousel, life-size dolls, a wheel of death--and the further they go, the creepier it gets, and there's no return.

The suspense in this book in fantastic. You know from the get-go that nothing good happened to Aisha and you know that Cassie isn't safe. The further the book gets, the creepier the story becomes. I wanted to know what happened to Aisha, then I wanted to know why the circus stuff was there, and then I wanted to know how everyone would get out of this mess. I know I'm being a bit vague, but I want the Dollhouse to surprise you. Let's just say that the book goes from mystery to gothic/paranormal slowly throughout the book. Anya Allyn also does a great job describing the scenes, sometimes that was where the fear came in.

The beginning was a little bumpy for me, though. I didn't quite understand why Aisha left the group in the beginning. Maybe it's fixed in the updated version, but Cassie seems to think that it's her fault Aisha disappeared because they were fighting about Ethan, but that didn't happen. Sure, I think Aisha picked up on the fact that Cassie liked Ethan, but there was no confrontation. Once the characters are in the Dollhouse, the pacing does slow a bit, which I have seen reviews complain about, but that didn't bother me. It added to the odd sense of time in the Dollhouse, how the characters couldn't tell if they were there for days, weeks, or months.

There is a little bit of a romance in this book. Like I said, Cassie has a crush on Ethan, and there is a little bit of a romance between them, but it doesn't get far, and it is a very small part of the book. I didn't really care about Ethan. He's okay, I guess, but he was not a very active character in this book, and I couldn't see why he was worth breaking a friendship over. By the way, Cassie's feelings for Ethan did bother me a bit, mainly because she did not act like a good friend at the beginning of the book. Some of her inner-comments about Aisha weren't comments you would make about a friend either. I did worry that this would make a negative girl dynamic in this book, but thankfully, the girls helped one another.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did like this book, even if I didn't enjoy it as much the first time. It is a creepy, suspenseful read, and not like any other books I've come across. It does end in a pretty big cliffhanger. I've since read the rest of the books in the series, and while the series has really interesting ideas, this is the best book in the series, and I wish this book could've stood by itself.

I hereby give this book

3.5 Stars

Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

REVIEW: The Program by Suzanne Young

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

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MY THOUGHTS

I recently reread this book so that I could finish the series and this was just as good the first time I read it!

When suicide is announced as an epidemic, a disease, in teens, The Program is implemented in select schools. The Program has a 100% success rate of curing teens, but at a cost. Sloane is well aware of The Program as well as the suicide epidemic. She has known people who have committed suicide, her brother one of them, but she can never show signs of sadness lest she be "flagged" and taken to The Program. The Program does more than cure teens, they erase their memories for any sign of the contagion. Sloane tries to stay strong and her boyfriend James, who was her brother's best friend, helps her stay afloat, but when he succumbs to Depression, can she keep them both up?

I admit I was worried that I would not like this book the second go-round because this is a dystopian book and I'm a bit tired of dystopians now. While this book is technically dystopian, it does not fall into the tired tropes that made me sick of reading dystopian books. It takes place in the near future, very similar to our own, and it takes very real aspects of our world and worsens the scenario. Not only that, it shows the real human emotion behind it. This is what a dystopian book should show, not just trying to piggyback on the popularity of The Hunger Games. This book asks legitimate questions about memory, like how much of our memories make up our personality. And throughout this whole book, it questions whether suicide is really an epidemic or if The Program makes things worse. Many teens in this book commit suicide when they know they are about to be sent to The Program. The big thing too that makes this so different from the typical dystopian is that this is not a battle using weapons to gain freedom, but an inner battle to have the right to your own memories and actions. You also get a divide between the adults and the teens because the adults see the research and the success rate but they don't see the mental damage The Program causes. It's hard at times because to us, the reader, it is clear that this is wrong and why are these adults unable to have empathy for these teens? Why don't they step back and imagine what it would be like to lose their memories of childhood? Taking away bad memories is also erasing the good.

This book had such a realness to it. Despite the book having science fiction elements, this book has a lot of contemporary elements. It is in the very near future with The Program (and the science behind it) the only real difference between our world and theirs. A lot of the book is made up of Sloane thinking back to memories of James or her brother. The flow between the memories and the present worked wonderfully for the book, even if it carried sadness. It also made some scenes even more difficult to read because we remember moments that Sloane does not. One of the things that also bothers me about YA books at times is that when we call for strong female characters we always seem to forget that a strong female character does not just mean physical strength. Sloane has to be mentally strong in this book, as well as strong in spirit. She doesn't always succeed, but she is in such a difficult situation. Even before things progressed in the story, Sloane felt like she had so much weight on her shoulders. She can't even properly grieve for her brother because being sad can have her sent to The Program. She simply has to pretend and try to support others around her to make sure they don't break. That takes a lot of strength.

I also want to talk about the romance. It is really difficult for me to like romance in books. It is so easy to get wrong or for it to bog down the story. There is romance in this book but it felt realistic. There is still a sense of the couple wanting to be together forever, but it is shown more in a way that they want to support each other. I loved that it was depicted as a more realistic relationship rather than overdramatic and while Sloane is oftentimes thinking of James, it still does not bog down the story (and it also makes sense for the situation).

IN CONCLUSION

I'm also incredibly impressed with this book because, before reading this book, my only experience with Suzanne Young's books was the A Need So Beautiful series. While it had a unique idea, I was not the biggest fan of that book because it used romantic cliches. Now, it's clear that Suzanne Young has really grown as a writer and is tackling more difficult subject matter. Overall, this is a fantastic book and I'm glad that I'm diving into this series! I definitely plan on finishing the rest of the series this time!

I hereby give this book

5 Stars!

Meaning: A new favorite!

REVIEW: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).
But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?

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MY THOUGHTS
I was looking for a feel-good read and thought that Morgan Matson would be a great choice and this is one that I hadn't yet reread. It also has puppers, a character who writes, and it takes place in the summer, so it really felt like a perfect book to reread! Rereading this book I realized that there were so many details I still retained but I still immensely enjoyed reading it! Some things were different than I remember, but it's still a great Morgan Matson book. 

Andie's plans include an all-important internship at a med school. Not only will it help her future and look good on a resume, but it lets her out of the house after her dad (a congressman) got involved with a scandal. But when said scandal causes Andie to get pulled from an internship, she doesn't know what to do. All of the other internships and jobs are already taken and she can't have a gap in her resume. She has to find something to do and sure it wasn't walking dogs, but maybe she can find greatness in this summer after all. 

This indeed has a lot of feel-good to it (the puppers help). One of the reasons why I love Morgan Matson's books is that while her books can sometimes be predictable, her books are incredibly realistic because there is complexity to them. Yes, this book has a romance in it, but it's not just about romance. There is a lot about trying to figure out what you are doing when the unexpected happens (which is definitely relatable) and trying new things. There are themes are sticking with your friends and fixing relationships. There is even Andie still dealing with her mother's death years later and the father that is so caught up in work that he has no time for her. Speaking of Andie, there was just so much growth in her character in the book and even growth in the characters surrounding her as the book progressed. 

The characters in this book are just fantastic! I loved seeing the group texts between Andie's friends! I also loved that Andie's dad was a part of the book and we see their relationship change from a nonexistent relationship to a close relationship. I honestly just loved seeing everyone react around each other. Again, it goes back to the complexity that Morgan Matson includes in her books. Each character is dynamic with their own unique personalities. They all feel like real people which made all of the emotions feel real. Let's not forget the dogs! I love love love dogs. If you asked me what my favorite animal was it would be, no question, dogs! So that was a big part of why I wanted to reread this book. Even the dogs get their personalities showcased! The main dog we see is Bertie who is a Great Pyrenees and I am just full of happiness just thinking about him! I volunteered walking dogs in the past and I kept getting reminded two Great Pyrenees, a brother and sister that the shelter was trying to get adopted together. They were just sweet furballs and I adored them. Thankfully they are now in a happy home!

Okay, I'll stop talking about dogs (even though I don't want to) and get to what disappointed me during my reread. My first time reading I gave this 5 stars, this time it gets 4 stars. This is mainly is due to the last part of the book, which I completely forgot about. Near the end, there is a large portion where the feel-good drops and we get a lot of conflict. I don't have a problem with the fact that there is conflict, because in real life there is conflict, I have a problem with the reasons why there was a conflict. A lot of it seemed stupid, avoidable, and it took up a lot of space in the book (this isn't a short book) [highlight to view spoiler] My main gripe is that there is conflict over the fact that one friend has a crush on a boy and it turns out that boy has a crush on another friend (and they strike up a relationship). Andie finds out about it and there is DRAMA. It was just so stupid. I'm not on either side, but WHY WOULD YOU LET A GUY RUIN A FRIENDSHIP! Because this actually ends a lifelong friendship, over a guy who was not worth it! WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?! Ugh. Frankly, it was also a bit cliche. [end of spoiler] It really just made me frustrated.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did enjoy rereading this book! Part of the later part frustrated me, but I just loved all the characters and the friendships and the puppers! This is a really great summertime read and I'm glad that I gave it another read!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

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MY THOUGHTS
So, I first read this book in 2012 but I decided to reread this recently because I still hadn't picked up the next books in the series and wanted to refresh my memory (although I guess that wasn't necessary because it looks like they are companion books). Even though I reviewed it back in 2012, I scarcely call that cringe-worthy mess a "review", so here are my more up-to-date and coherent thoughts on this book.

When Ismae was in the womb, her mother ingested poison meant to kill Ismae. But Ismae survived and has since been known as the daughter of Death. When she needs to escape a violent arranged marriage, she is sent to the convent of St. Mortain. There she is trained to serve the God of Death and carry out his wishes. His wishes usually mean killing men that are betraying their country and carry the mark of Mortain. After a man, Duval, argues with the convent for ruining his plans and killing the betrayers he was planning on integrating, Ismae is sent to stay with him at court. Not only to catch betrayers, but the convent is suspicious of Duval. The longer she stays in court, the more confused Ismae gets because she is not sure who is the real betrayer.

I mostly listened to this on audiobook but I switched from physical format and audio multiple times. The audio was fine, but it was confusing at points because there is a very large cast of characters and I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who was who. When switching formats I would get further confused because the pronunciation of a name would not always match what I expected the name to be spelled. Nevertheless, I did like this book. It has a very interesting concept, assassin nuns with a historical backdrop, hints of magic, and political betrayals. This is a pretty hefty book and while there are major moments, I will admit that there were multiple occasions where I lost interest. A lot of the book was more politics and less murder, which yeah, I don't want murder, but when you are already confused by the cast of characters, adding politics in the mix does not pique your interest.

Probably one of the strongest things in this book was the female characters. The female characters in this book are incredibly strong. There is, of course, the obvious strength, the ability to kill, but just the way the female characters in this book have to go about their life requires strength. These girls are forced to grow up early. Ismae is forced into an arranged marriage in her young teens and then almost raped. The Duchess is only twelve but is having to deal with a possible marriage to a creep that has been previously married six times. She's trying to help her country, but no one cares for her interests but Duval and (because of her age and sex) everyone thinks that they know better than her. These girls have to have strength because they are given very little power and it made me sad and frustrated throughout this book, but I still loved the fact that they remained strong.

Ismae herself is an interesting character. It is a struggle at times with her because she has a very different perspective than most. She is devout to her saint/god but is not hesitant when it comes to killing. She begins with thinking in black and white and in thinking of only her role, but she changes throughout the book. It is a slow change and it takes her a while to process it, but I do like how she ended up changing. I'm being vague, but I'm trying not to spoil things.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did like this book. I don't think I liked this as much as the first go-round. The first time I read it I was blinded by the premise of "assassin nuns" and all of the glowing reviews, so I ignored any of the confusing bits. This is still a pretty great read and it makes for an intriguing book. I plan on reading the next two books pretty soon!

I hereby give this book

3.5 Stars

Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

REVIEW: Body & Soul by Stacey Kade

The final book in The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy!

The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

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Note: This is the third book in a series and will include spoilers for previous books. To see my review for book one look here. To see my review for book two look here.

MY THOUGHTS
Well, here I am at the last book in The Ghost and the Goth series! I'm now done with my reread of this series! While my feelings towards this series aren't as huge as the first go-round, this is still a pretty fantastic series.

In Queen of the Dead Alona got into some trouble. As in, she kind of possessed the body of Lily. She's been trying to get used to being Lily, or Ally as she prefers to be called, but it's hard when Lily's family expects her to be Lily. Even Will seems to be bothered by Alona being in Lily's body. Together, Will and Alona are trying to find a way to get Alona out of Lily's body without killing Lily. This takes them to a bunch of fake physics, but at one of them they run into Misty, Alona's best friend (when she was alive). Misty claims Alona is haunting her, but of course Alona knows that isn't true. Add in a crazy ghost trying to claim Will so she can be his new spirit guide, they have a couple of things they need to deal with. 

I'm glad that I can finally talk about the whole Alona/Lily thing as I had to avoid that in my last review because of spoilers. Anyway, increase that by tenfold. Even though I read this book before, I completely forget about most of the events of this book. I knew that Alona would "possess" Lily at one point and I knew that the series ends on a happy note, but that was about it. Hey, it's been seven years, okay? It was pleasant to know that throughout all the chaos there would be a happy ending (I did not know that for sure the first time), but that did not take away from some of the suspense of this book. Ack! I want to go into more detail on the events of this book but, again, I run into spoilers! Let's say that even though I knew how the book was going to end, there were times where I legitimately questioned my memory and where I really wondered how this book would get to that point.

I loved both these characters and I loved seeing how they interacted. With each book I understood more about them and they knew more about each other. Like the last book, Alona and Will had their fair share of disagreements in this book, mostly because of misunderstandings or different perspectives. In this one it was, again, Alona being in Lily. Will thought that Alona was mistreating/judging Lily, but Alona just wanted to be herself. Even when they fought, though, Will and Alona still had their banter and their interactions were just great. They were just trying to figure out what to do about this situation. This book series is just a great example of dual POV and it gave us a chance to hear both sides of the misunderstandings (which made me want to yell at them to just talk to each other!) To be honest, I actually liked Alona's perspectives a little more than Will's. Don't get me wrong, I love Will's perspectives and he is a fantastic human being, but Alona's character is so complicated and I really liked getting the chance to get to know her better. This was surprising to me at first because she's not exactly the most likable character at the beginning of the series, but I quickly warmed up to her.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this is a great conclusion to a great series! It brought me heartache, fuzzy feelings, stress, and nostalgia all rolled together! I'm glad I took the time to reread this series and it made me want to revisit some more old favorites.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

The Ghost

Okay, I admit it. I'm not perfect, no matter what you've heard. First off, I'm dead. Second, I got sent back from the Great Beyond. I mean, seriously, who is running things up there? Now I have to spend the summer after my senior year working - and on behalf of a bunch of whiny spirits, no less. But a girl's got to what a girl's got to do.

It's a good thing Will Killian is still around. Even though he drives me crazy, and he could seriously do with a tan - Hello! It's summer! - I'm glad he's here to help me. Now he's all distracted by this frizzy-haired girl who can - big deal - communicate with the dead, too. Whatever. I don't need Will. But there are some things - like saving my parents from a couple of horrible mistakes - that would be easier with his assistance. Still, I will get what I want... with or without him.

The Goth
I'm still totally amazed that Alona Dare is my spirit guide and that it works. Yes, I've had a crush on her since sixth grade, but I also kind of hated her. And sure, she had to die before she'd talk to me - but I don't know, I kind of like having her around.

Things get confusing when I meet Mina, who's the first ghost-talker I've ever encountered (other than my dad). I always thought Alona and I were doing the right thing helping those other ghosts, but Mina has me thinking otherwise. Plus, she might know stuff about my dad that even my mum doesn't. But if there's one thing I should have learned by now, it's not to ignore Alona. That's never a good idea.

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Note: This is the second book in a series. To see my review for book one look here.

MY THOUGHTS
I'm continuing my reread of this series with this book. Like the last book, I still did not quite love it as much as the first time I read it, but I still found it to be a fantastic book!

Alona has gotten rejected from the light so she's still on Earth as Will's spirit guide. When Alona and Will attempt to help a disgruntled spirit, a strange girl, Mira, comes in trying to fight off the ghost. Turns out there is a whole organization of ghost talkers and Mira is one of them. They are strangely interested in Will's powers and Will is willing to talk with them for answers, but they see ghosts as objects they have to trap to protect the living. At the same time, Alona doesn't like that Will is spending time with Mira and the other ghost talkers. She feels like she's being replaced and it doesn't help that her parents are moving on with their lives, forgetting about her.

The first time I read this series I remembered loving the books more and more as the series went on. I wasn't so sure about that when I first started this book. This book introduces a lot more problems to the main characters and seemed to be trying to tear them apart. I was a bit wary of Mira from the get-go and throughout this book the characters made decisions I did not agree with. Yet, this book does get very interesting. We are introduced to the other ghost talkers and a major plot twist that impacts the rest of the series happens in this book (I mean, I saw the twist coming, but I read this book before). Things really do get interesting in this book, even if it frustrated me at times how much Alona and Will fought.

It's important to note that while things happen in this book, a lot of it is character based. Will doesn't interact a whole lot with the ghost talkers and mainly does so to learn more about his ability and his father. Alona thinks her mother is forgetting her and her father is trying to replace her. With this, she has anxiety that Will wants to get rid of her (especially since the light rejected her). These characters have certainly changed since book one but a lot of times it really feels like we're slowing understanding more and more about these characters. At the same time, Will and Alona are trying to grow closer, but not only is the situation odd (one dead, one not), but they still have trouble understanding each other's perspectives. I'm going to be vague because of spoilers, but in one situation Alona makes a mistake and Will gets upset at her. This was frustrating because I really wanted Alona to explain, but it wasn't exactly clear what happened. I'm not even sure if Alona knew why she did what she did.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did really like this book. This is a great continuation of The Ghost and the Goth and I was both surprised at times and just nostalgic for the moments I remembered. I look forward to rereading the final book!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot body, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

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MY THOUGHTS
Lately, I've been reading books added to my TBR in 2012 and had found that my reading tastes have changed in the past seven years. I was starting to worry about my old favorites, whether I would not like them as much if I read them again. So, I decided to reread this book. I did not like this one quite as much as the first time I read it, but I can still say that this is a great book.

Alona is blonde, popular, and dead. She comes back to school grounds as a ghost to find that her best friend and boyfriend are now together, just days after Alona's death. She screams at them and starts sinking into the ground. As school outcast, Will, walks past, Alona notices him laughing at her. But no one has noticed her until then. Well, Will has always been able to see ghosts and while he tries his best to hide it, he's prone to reacting to things that "aren't there" and is labeled as a freak. He usually gets by, listening to music and ignoring the ghosts, but now some of them are starting to notice him and a malicious cloud of energy seems to be out to kill him.

This book is from dual POV, switching between Alona and Will. Both characters are stand-out characters and they each have distinct voices. Alona is known as the popular girl, Will is known as the freak, but what's great about this book is that the writing does not show them as stereotypes and instead shows them as dynamic characters. This is definitely explored with both characters, but I felt that Alona defied her stereotypes a lot more in this book. Not only was she more than a stereotype is real-life (she has family issues and while her classmates seem to think of her as the typical popular girl, a lot of this is just her image. No one really knows her), but she also grows as a person in this book. She has leadership skills and she is really intelligent. She figured out what was going on long before Will and tried to do something to stop it, despite the risk to herself. Will is also a fantastic character, I'm not meaning to ignore him here, but he doesn't undergo as much change as Alona. That being said, I love these two together. Will wants nothing to do with Alona. Not only is she a ghost and he tries his best to ignore ghosts, but she ignored him in life so why should he help her? But Alona is so strong-willed that they end up forging somewhat of a partnership. I honestly just loved seeing them interact with each other. 

As obvious from the title and synopsis, this book involves ghosts, but one of the things I like about this book is that it does not go the scary route. Nor does it go the depressing route. This book has a somewhat fun take on ghosts. It mostly has to do with the interactions between Alona and Will, but this is an entertaining read rather than a frightening. I really loved that this book does not go that direction and it was one of the reasons I picked this book series for a reread. This doesn't mean that this book doesn't go dark directions, it does at points, but the overwhelming good-feeling from Will and Alona just beat that. 

IN CONCLUSION

So, why is my rating a little lower than my first read? I'm not really sure, but the plot did not wow me as much as the first go-round. I've just read a lot of books since. Though it's still a great book and I don't regret rereading it. I'm glad to say that I still enjoyed this book and I felt nostalgia while reading this book. I remember liking the series more and more with every book so I look forward to rereading the rest of the trilogy!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Don’t sweat. Don’t laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him, and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night - a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible - and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever - but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

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MY THOUGHTS
I originally read this book in 2012 on a night which I did not want to sleep. It wasn't because I was reading riveting books; I was staying the night at my grandma's and my OCD at the time prevented me from being comfortable sleeping in a bed not my own. So I read books all night. I read a total of three books start to finish, the other two being (Monument 14 and Embrace). The Hunt was the last of the three. I know, I know, I'm blabbing. Why am I telling you this? Because I had absolutely no memory of this book, I wasn't even sure how I felt about this book when I first read it!

Seven years later, I definitely had no memory of this book and I still needed to read the sequel. I also needed an audiobook to read and noticed that the audio for this book was available so I decided to reread this book! To be honest, I have no idea how I really feel about this book. It felt like I was reading this book for the first time. I was really curious to know what would happen to the MC, even if I suspected where it as headed, there was so much suspense throughout this book. But... I had way too many questions on how this world functioned.

The Hunt takes place in a future overrun with vampires. In fact, humans are thought to be instinct. Except, Gene is human and has been drilled on how to blend in with the vampires, and he's been doing a pretty great job so far. Then it is announced that there will be a Heper Hunt. There are a group of humans, who were raised in captivity, that a select group of vampires will get the honor of hunting. They are chosen via lottery. Gene is one of the chosen, but he has to keep himself even more on guard. Without his usual tools to keep himself, his scent hidden, without the nutrients he needs to survive, he wonders constantly how he can keep up this charade.

First of all, I need to talk about the audio. I do not recommend the audio for this book. The narrator's voice sounded like a professor in his 30's, not a teenage boy pretending to be a vampire. It kept me from getting fully in the story and he did a terrible job of changing his voice per character so I had no idea who was talking at most points. Also, the audiobook was 11 hours long! This book is only 293 pages! The narrator talked that slowly! I eventually checked out the book from the library to read the rest myself.

As I mentioned, I was invested in this book. I really wanted to know how Gene would get out of this situation and there was so much suspense in this book. The premise is also very unique in having a human masquerading as a vampire and showing a human hunt. There was a lot of thought put into the vampires themselves. What makes them different from humans and how they show "emotion", as well as how Gene could pretend to be a vampire for so long. There is enough in this book to show readers a different sort of vampire than we are used to seeing and as this was published shortly after the YA craze of romanticizing vampires, it was probably nice to read a book that showed how frightening vampires could be, from the viewpoint of a human.

Where this book lost me though was the world. I really tried to ignore the problems in the world-building, because I really liked the story, but it kept coming up. One problem I had is that Gene has a habit of making metaphors that make me question the world he lives in. At one point he compared something to kids at an amusement park which made me wonder how he knew about amusement parks. Did he read it in a book? Do they still have human books in this world? Or are there vampire amusement parks? Are there vampire kids then? Do vampires reproduce? They must if there aren't any humans left, but how did vampires appear in the first place? How did they take over? There is just not enough background to tell me about this world. I can understand some things not being answered, maybe it will come up in a sequel, but wouldn't vampires talk about how they took over the human world? And how does Gene have so much knowledge about the world before? How long ago did humans take over? I would pretend to ignore the world-building issues, but then Gene would say another metaphor or there would be a contradiction in the story.

As for Gene, I do think he made a compelling main character. By the way, I feel weird calling him Gene because for most of the book he had no name. I have complicated feelings for Gene because he wasn't always likable and he did not always make the best decisions, but he did make an interesting character. I also think that his personality is partially based on how he was raised. He's raised among entirely emotionless beings who would eat him at any opportunity if they knew he was human. He also has complicated feelings about being human. He feels ashamed of his humanity and wants to be "normal" and it's interesting seeing his viewpoint because he always feels like he has to explain his humanity. He distrusts vampires, but what was odd in the book is that he is also very quick to trust other people.

As for romance, to me, this book had no romance, but I think there was supposed to be romance. There is some attraction for Ashley June, but it does not really go anywhere. Except there was that weird armpit/elbow thing which is either the vampire equivalent to kissing or to sex. That was very strange. I was glad that there wasn't a focus on romance because I don't like it when a romance takes over and it that gave more time for the story. Although, I get the feeling that that will change in the rest of the series.



IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I feel like I'm saying more negative things than positive things. I did really like the idea behind the book and I was interested enough that I keep reading even after the horrible narration. I was curious to see how things would pan out, but I could not ignore the world-building issues and the inconsistencies in the story. I do plan on reading the sequel. The ending of this book made me curious and since I reread this one purely so I could finish this series, I feel obligated to continue.

I hereby give this book

2.5 Stars

Meaning: I almost liked it, but not quite