A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens

Title: A Season of Eden
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Pages: 248
Published: October 2008
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: He's my teacher. I shouldn't be alone with him. But I can't help that he's irresistible.

I let the door silently close at my back. He stared at me, and a taut quiet stretched between us. "I like hearing you play," I said, moving toward him. He turned, in sync with my slow approach. He looked up at me but didn't say anything. I rested my clammy hand on the cold, slick body of the baby grand. "May I?" The muscles in his throat shifted, then he swallowed. "Eden." My knees weakened, like a soft tickling kiss had just been blown against the backs of them. "Is it okay?" I asked. His gaze held mine like two hands joined. He understood what I was really asking. "Let me stay," I said. "Please." "You're going to get me in trouble," he said.

Review: Eden is a girl who can get everything that she wants and doesn't let things get in her way. When a new teacher arrives at the school, Eden makes it her mission to get him to notice her. They both know that this is something dangerous for them since the teacher-student thing exists between them.

Eden used to getting everything and when Mr. Christian arrives at her school she's determined to make him notice her. She doesn't stop to think about the consequences that this might have on both of them and goes on with her plan. I did see her change over the course of the book but it took me a while to understand why she did things but it's just the way she grew up.

Mr. Christian was the one who wanted to stay away from the trouble that Eden brought with her but of course he couldn't resist it. I loved that he could play the piano and had a love for classical music. I'm glad that he was able to take a hold of the things he wanted after a while and could decide and think things for what he wanted. I loved the relationship that he had with his mother and how much he cared for her.

It was a pretty short read that I enjoyed reading, especially since I had wanted to read it for so long. One thing I really enjoyed about it (and maybe why I wanted to read it) was that I hadn't read any book that had the student-teacher relationship like it was in A Season of Eden. It was definitely different than other forbidden romances and I liked that.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Published: September 2010
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Review: Hearing all the good things about this book had made want to read it for a long while and when I finally got the chance to I was really happy. Evie doesn't know a different world from the one that she's been living in for most of her lifetime. She's used to being surrounded by things that are considered to be not normal. That doesn't stop her from wanting to have a normal life.

Evie is hilarious! I loved the way she looked at things we consider as normal as something amazing. She lives such a different life and has best friends that we only wish we could but she tries to be as normal as possible. She made the book and story so good by how she looked at things in a funny way and talked about her world in such a normal way. They way that she was concious of the things that the paranormals could do made me happy since she knew the consequences and tried to think straight even if at times she couldn't.

I'm glad that I was finally able to read this book and totally agree with those who think this book is amazing because really is! It had moments that were really funny but there also times when it took a serious tone that balanced each other out. I always end up loving books that make me laugh and keep me reading even though I have so much homework to do! If you haven't read it yet then you need to!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: September 2011
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review: This was just as good if not better than Anna!

Lola seems to live an almost perfect life with a rocker boyfriend and 2 dads that love her. Everything seems fine until her used to be neighbors move in after years of not seeing them. After the way they left Lola doesn't want anything to do with them and also doesn't want to know about them. Unfortunately for her, it seems kind of impossible since each day her feelings towards them change, especially for Cricket.

Lola is the person that I could never be and I loved that! She had her own personality and she really distinguished herself from the rest. She was trying to get over what had happened with her neighbors and when they suddenly appeared everything came back to her which made her not want to see them. Of course, the one person that she doesn't want to see is the person she sees.

And Cricket is awesome! According to Lola he dresses well and can also invent stuff. He doesn't have that big personality that everyone can see that Lola does but he stands out in his own way. He was going through his own things and trying to figure out his own problems that were tormenting him. He actually seemed like he could be the boy that lived next door.

I can't decide if I liked Anna more or not but I know for sure that they are both amazing. I enjoyed reading every single minute and I can't wait to read her next book. I feel like anything that Stephanie comes out with I will buy even if I don't know what it's about. =)

In My Mailbox (50)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Now that school has stopped taking so much time and golf season is over I can start to blog again! I missed it so much and now I'm super happy that I finally have the time to dedicate myself to it. =) These are the books that I've bought while I was gone.

Bought:
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Vixen by Jillian Larkin
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Clarity by Kim Harrington
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

What did you get this week?

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Chain Reaction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Published: August 16 2011
Pages: 308
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

Review: Now that I've read all 3 of the books of the Fuentes I can say that I absolutely love the Fuentes brothers!

Luis is the good brother who knows what he wants how to get it. His story starts at the wedding of his older brother, Alex. There he meets Nikki and doesn't see her again until he has to go back to the place where he grew up. Being the good brother, makes Luis understand that he needs to stay away from gangs and get good grades but the more he explores and meets people the, more he gets closer to the dark side of the Fuentes brothers

Despite having Luis as the good brother who doesn't get in trouble he still manages to have the appeal that his 2 older brothers did. Luis had grown in the south side of Fairfield but he had never been exposed to the gang. After returning everything seems like it has changed but it doesn't mean that everything has stopped. After Luis finds some things out he feels like he's been betrayed and does some very bad decisions.

Nikki was different from Brittany and Kiara. After going through some hard stuff with a boy who just played with her, she is hesitant to trust any boy she meets. I loved how she refused to like any guy but at the same time you could see that she was scared that it would happen. She might have been a hard person to get to but knowing what she went through makes the reader more understanding of her.

I loved seeing Alex and Carlos back in this book. You get to see how their lives are going after their story was finished. They are both now good boys who don't want to go back to the way they were but when they see that Luis is in some trouble they are willing to help him. And also, I loved seeing the chemistry teacher back in this one!

I'm sad to see the stories of the Fuentes brothers end but I know I enjoyed reading all 3 books. Simone's books have something that makes me not want to stop reading them because I always want to know what happens next. I would definitely recommend this book and the first 2 to anyone!

In My Mailbox (49)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! These books were actually from last week but since I wasn't home I couldn't do an IMM.

From RAK:
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
I've read the first 2 and really enjoyed them so I'm excited to read it!
Betrayals by Lili St. Crow
I recently read the first one and it really left me wondering what was next.

Thanks to Anna from Anna's Book Blog and Crystal from Elegantly Bound Books!

So did you get any good books this week? =)

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Title: Glow

Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan

Release: September 27th 2011

Goodreads Summary: What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games, and promises to thrill and challenge readers of all ages.

The fact that Waverly is being proposed at age fifteen and has all this pressure from others so that younger people start having children makes me want to know more about how things are run there. Also, I can't imagine living in a vessel and not having any other place to go.