The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

A modern and supernatural take on the Jack the Ripper persona. It takes our main character, a student at a London boarding school, and it thrust her into the middle of a supernatural chaos. It turns out she can see ghosts and she soon learns that if she'd talking to someone she's got to be careful they're not a ghost. She finds friends who are also part of the supernatural community and learns to use her gift and all goes well until a mysterious ghost starts killing people in the gruesome manner of Jack the Ripper, mimicking his crimes exactly. Working with the secret supernatural branch of the London Police force she works to solve the mystery of who exactly is behind the murders before it is too late.

This is a brilliant book. Maureen Johnson is a wonderful writer and really a topnotch word-smith. The writing is beautiful and very eloquent and the book will enthrall you and leave you wanting more, it is a series, this is the first book in the  "Shades of London" series. I highly recommend that you read this book.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I'm DONE THE BOOK!!!! it was REALLY GOOD. It is about Lena Duchannes and her forbidden relationship with Ethan Wate. When they discover a locket at Greenbrier that may have a key to their past who knows what forces the will unleash.

OK on the back of the book it say that fans of "True Blood and Twilight" will love this series. I beg to differ.
(Actually what it says is "Give this to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight or HBO's True Blood series" - SLJ) I couldn't disagree more. I mean yes it has forbidden love between an immortal Caster and a human boy but that doesn't mean it is mutually exclusive. As far as i have read in this book there are no vampires at all...yes there is magic in abundance but magic does not always equate to vampires. I will agree that fans of the fantasy genre (and Magic in general, especially for fans of Lost Girl and Harry Potter) would love this novel. Despite the quote on the back the book itself is riveting. It sends you spinning through the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, which, as you find out, was almost destroyed in the Civil War when the south retreated. when the niece of "Gatlin's own Boo Radley" Macon Ravenwood comes to live with him everyone is naturally suspicious and highly prejudiced simply by virtue of her being Macon Ravenwood's niece. When our protagonist Ethan Wate meets her he is instantly smitten. He finds out she is a Caster and on her 16th Birthday she will be claimed either for Dark or Light so they decide to make the most of their limited time together. Will they find a way to be together in the end? I have no idea...so after reading more this weekend the plot thickens. After disaster at the winter formal and Lena's cousin Ridley causing havoc...well let's just say things haven't gone so well for Lena...and they may only get worse from here...again, not going to give too much away here...In short you need to read this book to understand all the details and I heartily recommend it, a truly riveting read...

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted is about a girl name Ella of Frell. she had an obedience spell placed on her at birth by her fairy godmother Lucinda Perriweather. One day she meets Prince Charmont (Char to his friends and fans) and falls hopelessly, and irrevocably in love with him. One day his Uncle, the evil Edgar learns of her obedience gift, and tells her to kill Prince Char. She tries to break the curse placed on her at birth. Will she break the curse in time so she doesn't kill the Prince? Will she get her happily ever after? Read the book to find out.

Gail Carson Levine is a wonderfully eloquent writer. She spins this tale in such a way that you can't help but get sucked in to the magical world of Frell and Ella's love for Char. It is also a fabulous movie starring Hugh Dancy and Anne Hathaway as Char and Ella. I would read the book before watching the movie but the order of things really doesn't matter. I would most certainly read this book. Will Ella get her happily ever after? You'll have to read to find out more about Frell, Ella, Char and Edgar...truly magical.

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Since Game of Thrones is on right now I thought I'd review it. Game of Thrones centres around Ned Stark and his family, among others. It's really...I can't explain it. You need to read this book. It is brilliantly written. It is, in its essence, about the 7 kingdoms of the land of Westeros vying for control. A "game of thrones" if you will. It's just, I can't explain it. It is written from many perspectives and as such changes perspective every chapter or so. All in all wonderfully magical in its brilliance a fantasy novel that sucks you right in...George R. R. Martin is a literary genius.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy is set in 1485 in Brittany. 17 year old Ismae was sired by death, that is to say Death is her father. One night he lay with her mother and she became with child. When her father learned of this he bought herb's that her mother could take to basically have an abortion. When these failed her father tried to beat her mother as she lay bleeding. Before he could one of the attendant ladies told him that if Death had indeed chosen her to bear his child she doubted that he would take kindly to her being beaten. When Ismae is of age (17) her father marries her off to Guillo, who paid 3 silver coins for her. Now everyone heard rumours of her strange parentage by Guillo didn't quite believe them. That is until their wedding night when he tears off her dress revealing the purple stain on her shoulder that was the result of the herbwitch's poison. That night she is taken to the Abbey of Saint Mortain, the group of nuns who still worship the old gods, namely death. All of their noviciates and nuns were sired by death and death reveals to them when he wants someone killed and they send the best girl for the job. When Ismae begins to question the will of death will she be able to refuse without consequence or will the mother abbess cast her out and denounce her to the world...what will happen? This riveting tale is a roller coaster ride through 1485 Brittany and I heartily recommend that you read this book.

Delerium by Lauren Oliver

Sorry for the incredible delay in my promise of 2 book reviews last Saturday...I had a ridiculous amount of homework to sink my teeth into and barely had time to write let alone read...anyway, here you go!

Delerium is a post-apocalyptic genre novel written by Lauren Oliver. Lauren Oliver writes of a world, much like our own but love is chosen for us. Love is seen as the disease Amor Deleria Nervosa and who you will spend your life with is determined by The Society. of course there are anomalies, those who rebel against the societies influence. These people are sent to live in the wilds but no one can get there of their own volition unless you know how to disarm the electric fence. When a young, goody two shoes girl from society and a boy from outside meet quite by chance they realize that they love each other and resolve to escape. Will they escape the societies suffocating grasp and live happily ever after? Read to find out...

Thanks again to all my faithful and new readers that read my sporadic (and sometimes quite frankly awful) posts and don't forget to check out the re-write of my mystery novel. If you find the post on my blog titled As Promised (You'll remember I promised to post the first section. The revised section is the prologue and, although it is significantly shorter than the section of Chapter 1 I posted, I think you might find it a tad bit more exciting. As always feedback on my writing, blog, what books I should review etc. is always welcome and encouraged...until next time check out the edit I posted, my book reviews and don't forget to keep reading and writing of course...

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Abridged Version)

The Princess Bride is "A classic tale of love an high adventure". This book was initially written as a satire by famed writer Simon Morgenstern (No Valentine didn't have a son named Simon, he had a son named Jonathan but that's besides the point)... Sorry I got kind of off track with the Mortal Instruments reference. Anyway it is the tale of a beautiful young girl named Buttercup. She lives on a farm with her parents and the farm boy, Westley, She comes to learn, over time, that she loves him and he goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her. You may remember seeing the movie with Peter Falk and Fred Savage with Cary Elwes starring as Westley and Robin Wright as Buttercup (It's from the 80's, 1987 to be exact). This is one of my favorite movies and I watch it whenever I can. There's "Fencing, fighting, torture, chases, escapes, true love." Everything anyone could ever want. The book, as abridged by William Goldman, was made into a screenplay by Goldman himself and the movie was directed by Rob Reiner. Seeing as Goldman wrote the screenplay it follows the abridged text of the book very closely. Anyway back to the book.

It starts off when you meet Buttercup, a young girl who lives with her parents on a small farm. One day the Count Rugen and the Countess visit the small farm and from that day Buttercup's life begins to spin out of control. That day, as she watches the Count and Countess walk around her farm with the Beautiful, blue eyed, tan and very muscular farm-boy Westley. That day is the day she realizes that she loves him. When she tells him this he packs a bag and goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her but he never makes it. He is killed by "The Dread Pirate Roberts" who never leaves captives alive. From that day she becomes very depressed but one day it is announced that she will marry Prince Humperdink. She resigns herself to this fate even though she despises the Prince and ultimately the Prince doesn't really want to get married. One day she is kidnapped by 3 marauders as she rides through the woods on her horse. However about halfway to Guilder ("The country across the sea, the sworn enemy of Florin!") they discover that they are being followed by a mysterious boat. Vizzini (the leader of the troupe) convinces them that it's nothing and they carry on. When they reach the "Cliffs of Insanity" they climb and the mysterious "Man in Black" (the man who was following them in the boat earlier) climbs with them and he seems to be bent on rescuing, or kidnapping, perhaps, killing the Princess that they have taken captive. Will Vizzini and the others get away with the Kidnapping? What is the aim of the Man in Black? Who is the Man in Black? You'll just have to read the book to find out...a truly gripping novel that takes you on a wild ride through Florin and Guilder.