REVIEW: Fever Crumb

Book: Fever Crumb by Phillip Reeve
Release Date: May 5th 2009 by Scholastic
Pages: 326 pages
Source: Library Copy

Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. In a time and place where women are not seen as reasonable creatures, Fever is an anomaly, the only female to serve in the order.

Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb - nearly the only person she's ever known - to assist archeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project. As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city-dwellers who declare her part Scriven.

The Scriveners, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated.

All Fever knows is what she's been told: that she is an orphan. Is Fever a Scriven? Whose memories does she hold? Is the mystery of Fever, adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, the key to the secret that lies at the heart of London?

Haunting, arresting, and astonishingly original, Fever Crumb will delight and surprise readers at every fast-paced, breathless turn

I have to mention something about the cover: WHY?
I just hate the cover. I got the paperback version which has a completely different cover. I really don't like it when they try to include a person into the cover (unless it's Percy Jackson).

Now that I got that over with, I found that this book was quite enjoyable. It was quite slow at first and I did get tempted a few times to put the book down when she kept on saying the word "logical" and "rational".  I had to reread the first few chapters a couple of times but once I got into the adventure part of the story, I was hooked.

Fever is a smart character unlike a lot of girls in dystopian novels. I do believe that this is dystopian as it mentions phrases of "from the past". There was this one moment that I found quite funny:

“Fever jumped aside just in time to dodge the shower of urine, and stumbled into the path of a religious procession - celebrants in robes and pointed hats whirling and clapping and chanting the name of some old-world prophet, 'Hari, Hari! Hari Potter!'”

When I read this paragraph I got this awesome feeling and just stayed in this expression :O for a very long time. Phillip Reeve is a genius for including Harry Potter.

What I find quite disturbing is Fever's hair. Apparently it is completely bald. I don't have anything against bald people but I just can't imagine her without hair, just like how in Legend, Day has long hair. Both are unthinkable.

Now for the story. There was some killing, some accidental, some purposeful and some just not actual killings. Confusing parts came up that I struggled with but it was still an easy-read book. Now that this topic came up, did anyone who read this book ever read the section about what a "stalker" is? I may have just accidentally skipped it but it seems to me as though the word popped up out of nowhere. Oh well. I later understood what it was but I never got the full definition.

The ending is a weird sort of twist. I mean that in a way where there is a twist but then there is a twist to the twist. It leaves you with several questions that I can't write here because of spoilers.

This story kept me wondering and amazed at Fever Crumb's world and was enjoyable. The story was alive once Fever realized that she shouldn't be so strict on herself. The story just kept on getting better and better from that point on.

Overall, the story was exciting and wonderful. I do have some issues about it like the speed but once you got through that problem it was a good book to read. I would recommend it on days that you just want to sit down, relax, and read a book.

Final Rank 

1     2     3    4     5

REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (Review+Journal)

Book: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Released Date: June 7th 2011 by Quirk
Pages: 352
Source: Library

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive

  

Sarah's Journal:

Page 51: This is a pretty good book, and the pictures are the type to give you nightmares. Luckily I don't get nightmares. :)

Page 135: Getting kind of freaky in the book... sweaty hands and getting a bit nervous. This is a really good book. The photographs are amazing.

Page _____ (Not going to say): HUUUUUUUUUUH?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, REALLY?! WOW.

 

Sarah's Review:

This wasn't like ANYTHING I expected.

Okay, so in the summary, it says that something might be alive. Let me tell you, DUH, there is something alive. The story doesn't end there though. I thought it would be some dull story about how the guy finds the monsters/people/whatever and then he defeats/saves/kills/hides from them. But it doesn't end there. He discovers the peculiar people, but that's only HALF the story. I was really amazed when I find out what the story is actually about (why the O: HUUUUUUUUH?! part is there). I think I might have been overreacting because I was still a bit spooked out from the pictures.

REVIEW: Nightshade

Book: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Release Date: October 19th, 2010 by Philomel
Pages: 452 Pages
Source: Library Copy

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Okay, so as you probably know already, I don't read a lot of werewolf stories. I don't know why, but it's just not my cup of tea. The last time I read an actual wolf story, it was two years ago. I had read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and I really enjoyed it. I think that was what motivated me to read Nightshade. Plus, there were a lot of mixed reviews on Goodreads about this. A lot of book bloggers have either absolutely loved it or hated it to the point where they didn't finish it. As for me, I think Nightshade had a lot of problems, but I didn't hate it. It was a good book overall.

Nicole's Review:

I think the biggest problem I had with Nightshade was because of its lack of background information. The author uses many werewolf terms, such as "searchers," "guardians," and "keepers," yet they were never explained in the book until the 180th page. I spent the first half of the book confused whenever these words were used.

Not only that, but there is also a lack of character explanation. There are many unique names in this book and I keep getting tangled between them all. For example, I remember this specific scene where Efron called Ren "son" and I had thought they were really father and son. Turns out that they were not, and Emile is actually Ren's father. That was pretty awkward, because I had thought Emile was Ren's mother, since Emile sounds like Emily, which is a girl name.

And I don't know if I'm the only clueless one, but Calla's nickname is "Lily," which apparently has some inside joke in it. I had to search up the word "Calla" on Google to find out its meaning. Calla is is a plant that I'm assuming is a lily flower. But I can't be exactly sure because it was never explained in the book.

Anyways, yes, a lot of things are either explained in the end, never explained at all, or you have to figure it out yourself. 

Okay, now that I finished my mini-rant on that, I would like to add that the romance in Nightshade really bothered me. And don't get me wrong, I really liked Ren and Calla together. They're the pair that I'm cheering for, but there's also a love triangle in this book.

Yup, there's a human named Shay who likes Calla. And Calla likes him back.

The romance was another glaring problem I had with Nightshade. Calla is supposedly to marry and mate with Ren (a wolf) yet she likes Shay. This would have been fine if Calla doesn't give mixed signals. One moment, she's with Ren like Shay doesn't exist. The other, she's with Shay like Ren doesn't exist.

And it's pretty obvious the one she likes more is Shay, but she keeps letting Ren kiss her and all that stuff. Until the very end (and I mean the very, very end), she doesn't make up her decision, which I find really annoying. Just please, know what you want in the beginning to prevent trouble. Or at least, make up your mind in the middle of the book. But of course, Calla has to drag it out, kiss Ren and Shay until the climax of the book. And like I mentioned before, whenever she's alone with either of them, she acts like the other doesn't exist. 

Her indecisiveness in picking one them really bothered me.

Plus, speaking of the romance, I don't really know why Shay likes her. So she saved him once, but does it have to get all insta-love? 

Shay was also a really annoying character. For example, the things he say are absolutely rude. When Calla told him that Ren's mother was killed by searchers, he said that "it does explain a lot about him," (Cremer, page 361 of Nightshade). I don't know about you, but I interpreted that in a very cruel, negative way. 

Yet even though Shay is like that, Calla still likes him. Calla also keeps getting into trouble because of Shay. Shay, of course, is naturally curious about wolves, which leads to investigations that Calla is stupid enough to join him in. Basically, they keep going on these adventures where Calla is regretting about later, and lying to not get in trouble. If you don't want to get in trouble, please, please don't do stuff that gets you in trouble. Obviously, Calla needs to learn that, because she blames a lot of stuff on Shay after they investigate on things. She's a bit of a drama queen, in my opinion.

But even so, Calla wasn't necessarily a bad protagonist. She was okay, despite being a drama queen at times. She can be resourceful, strong, and smart.

And even though I know I complained about a lot of things, I enjoyed a lot of parts too. The action/adventure was fantastic, and the speed was pretty quick. Readers who like fast-paced stories will really enjoy Nightshade.

The reason why I thought Nightshade was an overall good story was because of Cremer's great action-telling. It was absolutely perfect, and that was what made me like the book so much.

The Summary: 

The Good Points: Calla (mostly a good protagonist), Ren (an good male love interest), action-telling (absolutely amazing), adventure, fast paced

The Bad Points: Lack of explanation about the characters, words, and background information (some are explained at the very, very, end), the love triangle, Shay (I don't know why, but I didn't like him at all)

 

Final Rank:

 1     2     3     4     5
I know I complained a lot about Nightshade in this review, but the action/adventure really makes up for all the problems in this book. Especially since the speed of this book was very fast paced, I found myself liking a lot about the plot. I only wish there wasn't a love triangle in this book and that there could be more world-building (specifically on characters, werewolf terms, etc..). But overall, Nightshade's awesome adventure/action makes it a 4 star book.
  

REVIEW: Under the Never Sky

Book: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012 by HarperCollins
Pages: 374 pages
Source: Library Copy

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

So first off, before I start the review, I want to add in about how this is a second chance read. This means that I've read it in the past but hadn't finished it. My background story for Under the Never Sky is that I've read first chapter in March 2012, but then stopped because it got confusing. This time, I've stuck through with it. And I'm glad. Read on to find out why.

Nicole's Review:

In most books I've read, the girl falls for the guy before they even get to know each other. But thankfully, that wasn't the case in this book. The romance actually turned out to be pretty good. I liked how it wasn't even romance at first, and that it started out as friendship between Aria and Perry. They had no reason to fall for each other at first sight because of their different backgrounds, so it hadn't happened. The romance made sense. They didn't fall head over heels for each other because of their looks either --- there was none of that. Their romance gradually transitioned and I enjoyed reading about it.

The action and adventure, however, in my opinion could have been slightly better. And don't get me wrong; there was a lot of adventure in this book. But it was all written in a way without suspense. Instead of that hanging-of-the-edge-of-your-seat thrill, you would sometimes feel bored. At one or two fighting scenes, I would look up from the book and skim some pages. Though I have to admit, for the most part, Under the Never Sky kept my attention. The characters Rossi developed really kept the story going. I found myself liking Roar's personality a lot (he's quite charming).

As for the speed of this book, I thought it was mostly perfect. One or two scenes could have been spared, but I enjoyed the background information it gave us about the characters. 

And speaking of characters, I enjoyed them a lot! Like I mentioned before, Rossi's characters are well-developed, making the story fun to read, and easy to understand. I loved all the secondary characters as well as Perry and Aria (the two main characters). The parts about Perry's nephew and Perry's search to find him made my heart ache. 

I felt like Under the Never Sky mostly focused on Perry, even though it's supposedly Aria's story as stated in the summary. For me, a big chunk of the story was more about Perry than Aria. To be fair, the first hundred pages or so was all about Aria, but then it was about Perry. In the last moments of the story, it returned back to Aria.

And the ending. I don't know whether to scream or to cry in happiness. I won't spoil it, but it was almost an opened ending; it left the readers with a few paragraphs of closure, then you had to determine what was happening. It didn't exactly end with a sense of a sequel, but there was that almost cliff-hanging feeling. Nonetheless, it just depended on how you read it. Though from my comprehension skills, it was satisfying and perfect. It's only that small part of doubt that makes me wonder..well, I guess that's what the sequel (Through the Ever Night) is for.

The Summary:

The Good Points: Amazing characters, great description, good romance, good humor, good adventure (for the most part)

The Bad Points: A few boring fighting scenes, confusing beginning (that was what made me stop reading the first time, but stick with it and the story will get a lot better)

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4     5
A respectable four is what I would give this book. I sincerely enjoyed reading it, having read it in just one day. For 99% of the time, this was a well crafted book, but it fell flat for a few fighting scenes. They weren't a big problem, because the beautiful (and mysterious) ending made up for it. I liked how the plot and the science fiction in this story. It was what made it unique. I would recommend this book to science fiction/dystopian fans.
 

REVIEW: Hemlock

:

Book: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Release Date: May 8th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 416

Source: My awesome library :)

Goodreads Page: Click here

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

The Romance:

1     2     3  3.5   4     5

This scale is different than most. 1 means that there is no romance at all. 5 means this book was a very, very romantic based book. A 3 will be the most common, as YA books surround another plot while dealing with romance too. Below are my thoughts on the romance.

Some. :\

The Action/ The Adventure:

1     2     3  3.5   4     5

The action scale is pretty obvious and it is just like the romance scale. 1 means there was no action. 5 means there was a lot of action. Whether or not the action was good, I'll tell you below.

Wasn't as much as I had hope there would be. Some attacks. Car chasing. I think it was actually pretty well done, but if it was played out visually, like in a movie, it wouldn't be that exciting.

The Speed:

1     2     3  3.5   4     5

The speed scale tells how fast the story goes. For example, if the introduction is boring and the whole book is going at snail pace, it'll probably be a ranking of 1.

I think it went by pretty fast. I finished the book in 2 days, and the speed was enough to make me keep reading. Its not as fast-paced as I would hope, but I don't think the story drags like some others do.

 The Plot/ The Perspective/ The Storytelling:

1     2     3     4  4.5   5

This isn't based on how much action shows up as the book progresses. It is based on the quality of the plot. Sometimes the plot is just unentertaining while others are the on-the-end-of-your-seat suspenseful. This is probably the scale that you should pay the most attention to.

The plot was a pretty good idea. The perspective was pretty good too. The perspective was from a girl, Mac. Honestly, I find her annoying, but the perspective itself was fine. The storytelling was a so-so. I just wish it would be more vivid. It kind of felt like a blur, and a good way to put this as an example is when in a movie, they focus on one thing only, and everything surrounding it is a blur (bad description)

The End:

1     2     3     4     5

This is going to be a limited scale as I don't want to spoil the ending. I promise I won't reveal any secrets, but if you want it to be a complete surprise,  STOP READING.

Its a cliffhanger. If you have read previous book reviews, you'll know that I do not like them that much. Almost hate them. But I admire them if they are well written, and aren't just a sudden, quick solution to everything in the book.

The Summary:

Pros ---

-Pretty good ending

-Speed wasn't slow

-Plot was a good idea

Cons ---

-Romance- Love Triangle

-Cliffhanger

-Not vivid enough

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4  4.5   5

REVIEW: Something Strange and Deadly

Book: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Release Date: July 24th, 2012 by HarperTeen
Pages: 388 pages
Source: Library copy

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Something Strange and Deadly was a very enjoyable book to read, taking just about two days to read. The writing was clean and crisp, fitting in with the character voice perfectly. Below are my thoughts on this quick read.

The Romance:

1     2     3     4     5

This scale is different than most. 1 means that there is no romance at all. 5 means this book was a very, very romantic based book. A 3 will be the most common, as YA books surround another plot while dealing with romance too. Below are my thoughts on the romance.

 
This book takes the word "romance" differently than most YA stories. In Something Strange and Deadly, Eleanor Fitt doesn't fall in love with Daniel right away. Daniel doesn't fall in love with Eleanor at first sight either. In fact, he was pretty annoyed when he met her, as he made assumptions about her being some rich snob. But as the Dead became more consistent, they had no choice but to see each other again. They had to work together, along with Jie and Joseph (fantastic characters, by the way) to stop the zombies.

The romance in their friendship was pretty subtle, but the chemistry was powerful. I liked them together a lot, and was really thankful at the lack of love triangle and insta-love. I'd honestly like to read more books with romance as second priority (which this book is like).

The Action/ The Adventure:

1     2    3     4     5

The action scale is pretty obvious and it is just like the romance scale. 1 means there was no action. 5 means there was a lot of action. Whether or not the action was good, I'll tell you below.

There is some action in this story. But to honest, I was disappointed by a few of the scenes. For a book about zombies, I never really felt the fear I should, though I'm not sure if it was intended or not. Some scenes also didn't have that urgency of details added to it. Overall, they were somewhat interesting, but I felt like they could have been written in a more suspenseful way.

However, the adventure part of this story was great. Eleanor was a very adventerous character and she was brave too, which meant a lot of stuff happened.

The Speed:

1     2     3     4     5

The speed scale tells how fast the story goes. For example, if the introduction is boring and the whole book is going at snail pace, it'll probably be a ranking of 1.

I felt like the speed of this book was a little under average. It wasn't a big inference to the story, but some parts of the action (like mentioned above) could have been sped up to create suspense and some parts of the story were unneccesary. It wasn't boring, but for some people with less attention span, they might feel the urge to flip through the pages. For me though, I personally enjoyed them. They really let Eleanor's personality shine through.

The Plot/ The Perspective/ The Storytelling:

1     2     3     4     5

This isn't based on how much action shows up as the book progresses. It is based on the quality of the plot. Sometimes the plot is just unentertaining while others are the on-the-end-of-your-seat suspenseful. This is probably the scale that you should pay the most attention to.

Eleanor was an easy character to relate to. She was smart, yet not to the point of being snobby. She was kind, yet not to the point of being weak. She had that perfect quality to make readers like her. And if someone was bothering her, she knew what to do. Unlike some female protagonists, she had her own opinions and isn't always concerned about pointless stuff (guys, looks, what people thought of her).

The End:

1     2     3     4     5

This is going to be a limited scale as I don't want to spoil the ending. I promise I won't reveal any secrets, but if you want it to be a complete surprise,  STOP READING.

The ending of this book can be great or unsatisifying, depending on who you are. For me, I really liked it. It was super realistic, and had that bittersweet taste to it. It was also very unique, defying against a lot of YA books these days. The book had ended with the hint of a sequel.

The Summary:

The Good Points:

Eleanor's personality was amazing. Her thoughts were enjoyable, clever, and sharp. There was no insta-love beween her and Daniel, while the chemistry between them was very realistic. Daniel was a very likeable character too, along with Jie and Joseph being wonderful secondary characters. The writing of Susan Dennard was also flawless, the details being vidid and beautiful. If you love unique YA books, you'll definitely like this one.

The Bad Points:

Because this book is set in the 1800s, the writing is more fancy. For me, it had taken a few chapters to get used to the way Eleanor's thoughts were written. But nonetheless, it's easy to get used to. Also, in the publishing rights section of the book, the summary had included something about how this book was set into an alternate world. If so, then there weren't a lot of world-building in this book. A lot of times, I wondered why people aren't so surprised by the existence of zombies and spirits.

The action also could have been written in a more suspenseful way. For more details on this, check "The Action/ The Adventure" part of this review. And the ending for some people could have been unsatisifying. It was perfect to me, though.

Overall Thoughts:

Pros ---

- no insta-love
- Eleanor's awesome personality
- the other characters' personality (Jie, Joseph, Daniel)
- VERY unique plot (my first time reading about zombies in a YA book)

Cons ---

- takes awhile to get used to the language
- not a lot of world-building
- the action

Final Rank: 

1     2     3    4     5
I really liked this book. Eleanor, along with all the characters, were very enjoyable to read about. Eleanor and Daniel's subtle romance was great too. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to read a unique book.

REVIEW: Unraveling

Book: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Release Date: April 24th 2012 (Balzer + Bray)
Pages: 445 Pages
Source: Library copy

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed--as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows--with every fiber of her being--that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something--but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened--the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life--points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets--and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

I read UNRAVELING in about two weeks, which is fast considering how school was so busy. Before reading it, I had high expectations for this book, though I was definitely surprised by how well-written it is.



THE GOOD POINTS:

Unraveling is a refreshing sci-fi book to read. It's hard to find this type of genre in the YA world, so you could literally see me jumping up and down when I read quantum physics there. Thankfully, Elizabeth Norris has written this in a way so non-quantum physics people would understand this too. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK NOW! It's so wonderful and amazing; not to mention, very unique.

I especially adored the characters.

Janelle Tenner is a smart, witty main character and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. Her thoughts were sharp, precise, and for once, I don't have a main character freaking out over the "popular" guy. She's strong but at the same time, caring. If Janelle was real, she'd probably be one of my best friends.

I liked Alex a lot too. He looked out for Janelle, just like a friend should have. What happened in the end shouldn't have happened (trying not to spoil it), but yeah. He listened to her a lot and helped Janelle with her younger brother, Jared. I was surprised at how this book just fights all the cliches, because they didn't fall in love. Which proves the point that guys and girls COULD just be friends.

And speaking of cliches, Unraveling has a big twist in the middle that the summary doesn't even talk about. Talk about coming out of nowhere. But besides that, this book literally has no cliches, besides Ben (though he was a really 3-D character).

Well, actually, all the characters were somewhat really realistic. The only part that bothered me slightly is....

THE BAD POINTS:

Jared, Janelle's brother. It wasn't like he was annnoying or anything, but I thought the way he acted wasn't really high school freshman. It was more like a fifth grader. He listens to everything that Janelle says, gets excited over Disneyland, and talks a bit like a younger kid.

And that's not neccessarily a bad thing, but I found it unrealistic and unnatural. It just depends on how you see it, though I would categorize this as a tiny problem I had.

The second issue I had was with Alex. And I really sincerely did like him a lot (what more can you ask from a guy best friend?) but I slightly wondered what he thought of having a girl best friend. It's not like you can talk about fashion with him, though I'm not saying Janelle's girly. I'm just wondering, how did they become best friends? I don't know about you, but from my experience, not a lot of guys are willing to actually have an intelligent conversation with you.

Which brings me to this area. I want to know more about Janelle and her story. What happened in the past? I know a few details had been given, but this story is very fast paced. A lot of things happen and it's full of action. I would like to know more about Janelle and her childhood. More about what happened before her mom was like that. More memories about her elementary school years, when she had met Ben.

Because to me, it feels too sudden that she could like him so much after not noticing him for so long. Vice versa, that part about Ben being the school loner but then liking Janelle that much is a bit forced. Out of nowhere, we hear about how she had saved him from the ocean and how he noticed her. If there a small detail of Janelle's that tied the saving Ben part, then sure, I'd understand. But in the beginning, we learn from Janelle's thoughts that she vaguely remembers saving him and that she didn't really notice him in elementary school.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Pros----

- Janelle is one of my favorite main characters of all time
- fast paced story
- not as much cliches as nowadays YA books have
- no love triangle (IT WAS SO REFRESHING TO READ WITHOUT A LOVE TRIANGLE)
- good cover (just kidding, but the cover is gorgeous)
- I adore all the characters
- lots of research into CIA stuff and quantum physics (yes, I was really happy to know that some else knows what "Wave Fuction Collapse" is)

Cons---

- Jared could be a bit more realistic for a high school freshman
- need more back story on Alex and Janelle's friendship
- more background information about Janelle and Ben's elementary days
- the next book's release is still a long way from now

Well, the last con isn't really a bad thing. I just can't stand the wait. I'm definitely looking forward to UNBREAKABLE!(:

FOUR 1/2 STARS

I highly recommend this book to people. The only reason why it's not five stars right now is because of the cons I listed. I felt like more background information would be really, really helpful. But nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book.