Reader Girls Blog

Reading level: YA Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Clarion Books (September 14, 2009) BOOK DESCRIPTION: Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.  MY REVIEW: Tamsin, 17, is the youngest in her family of talented witches. Her older sister, Ravena, is the picture of perfection and her complete opposite. Poor Tamsin has no Talent, she's the only one in her family not to have...

Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: HarperTeen (October 6, 1999) BOOK DESCRIPTION: When Clare moves with her mother from London to Ravensmere, an historic English estate, she can't shake the feeling that the residents already know her, especially Mark, a maddeningly attractive biker. Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere's abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their own past is tragically linked to the estate. But when Clare discovers that Ravensmere is in grave danger, will she risk her future-and Mark's-to save it? MY REVIEW: I found this book on clearance online and liked the blurb. I was thoroughly happy to have found it. Berry has created a richly detailed and interesting town named Ravensmere. Clare moves to the English estate with her mother the summer after completing her (American equivalent) senior year of high school. We learn Clare had a snotty boyfriend and has turned into someone her mo...

Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (October 13, 2009) BOOK DESCRIPTION: After finally learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Somewhere out there, someone seems to share the powerful psychic abilities that allow Calla to see not only into the past, but to the Other Side—someone who apparently doesn’t want to be found. Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she's been searching for, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have been? MY REVIEW: Lily Dale has been one of my favorite series since reading the first installment, LILY DALE: AWAKENING . This fourth and presumably final installment is just as good as its predecessors. Calla's psychic abilities grow and her dad decides to move to town to be near her. What she didn't expect was for him to move next door, with her pretty neighbor, Ramona. Calla does patch up her ...

Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 23, 2009) BOOK DESCRIPTION: Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King. Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future. MY REVIEW: Morgan has bee...

Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (December 8, 2009) BOOK DESCRIPTION: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.  MY REVIEW: There are books which move quickly, like James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. As much as ...