Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

From Barnes & Noble:

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My Thoughts:

I honestly felt that I might be the last person on the blogsphere to read this book. But I finally picked it up and am glad that I did. The world that Scott Westerfeld creates is completely new and unique to anything that I have previously read about. Tally begins the book completely obsessed with becoming pretty and the life that comes along with it. As the book progresses though, things change and Tally begins to grow and evolve as a main character. That isn't to say that Tally makes the best choices...in fact, there were times that she frustrated me like crazy. But it was such an interesting take on the importance of beauty to society and I couldn't help but like this book. I can't wait to see where Tally goes from here in the 2nd book and would recommend this to anyone looking for a good YA read!

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges: 100+ Book Challenge, YA Challenge, New Author Challenge, Support Your Library Challenge

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

From Barnes and Noble's website:

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES…For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning. . .

My Thoughts:

Sorry guys but really do you need more of a description than that? Everyone in the world seems to have already read these and of course I'm behind the times. My opinion on this book basically comes down to this: I liked this one better than Twilight. It still wasn't amazing or anything but I found myself enjoying it and wanting to pick it up again after setting it down. I've read the reviews and a lot of people find Bella annoying in this one. It didn't bother me that much but I found myself wanting her to look at Jacob as more than a friend. What it comes down to for me is that they are teenagers with those kind of emotions, and reading these books brings me back to all of it. I was less dramatic than Bella as a teenager but I remember being completely in love for the first and the first time that my heart was broken. Maybe that is why these books are so successful, because we identify with some of the emotions that the characters go through. Notice I said some and not all :) I like the way that we got to see the experiences that Jacob goes through in this book and by the end I was definitely rooting for him over Edward. Although I am pretty sure that Meyer is going to take it in the opposite direction. All in all, a good but not great book and I'll eventually get to Eclipse.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges: 2nds Challenge, YA Challenge, 100+ Book Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("N" Title)

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses is the first book in the Morganville vampire series and it was a great start to this YA series. Claire is beginning her first year of college and although she is only sixteen, she is very smart for her age. In the dorm where Claire lives, a girl named Monica and her friends/followers don't like Claire though and Claire finds her life in serious danger. She finds a place to live at the Glass house with 3 other misfits and begins to learn more about the town of Morganville. And the dangers that lurk in the dark...

What a beginning to this new-to-me series! It was fast paced action throughout the novel and I was turning pages as fast as I could. Claire was a strong willed sixteen year old and I liked her from the start. When she moves into the Glass house she makes friends and these were all strong characters as well. I loved the dangerous spin on vampires that Rachel Caine used within this story and am SO curious as to where the story will go from here. My only qualm with this book is that Claire made decisions that at some points didn't seem very realistic. For her being as smart as she was portrayed, she didn't use the best common sense at times. And a warning to readers that it does end with a bit of a cliffhanger. I was warned ahead of time so it didn't bother me other than wanting to pick up the next book soon. Figured I should extend the same courtesy to all of you :) All in all though, I was hooked with this story and am anxious to continue on with this series. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about vampires or any types of paranormal books.

My Rating/Recommendations: 4 out of 5 and recommended to paranormal lovers!

Challenges: YA Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, 100+ Book Challenge

Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

Sisters Of Misery is Hall's debut novel and is marketed as a young adult novel. We are introduced to Maddie at the beginning of the story who is a girl busy fitting in with the "popular girls" or as they are secretly known, the sisters of misery. Led by Kate, who seems to embody the definition of a mean girl, they are in a group where initiation and hazing rituals are used to get into the sisters of misery. Maddie is at the fringe of this group of girls feeling like she doesn't belong and feels closer to her cousin Cordelia who has just moved into town. And when Cordelia goes missing, Maddie's life gets turned upside down. This novel was filled with suspense and twists and turns. Plus, there is also a little bit of paranormal thrown in there.
I really enjoyed this book and was turning the pages as fast as I could. I don't read a lot of young adult books but didn't feel like this was too young for me to read or anything. It was just good...kept me guessing and wondering how everything would turn out. Hall really created a world that sucked me in....I felt for Maddie because it is easy to remember how hard it is to go against the crowd sometimes. Luckily, I had a good group of friends when I was younger and didn't care what anyone thought for the most part. There is going to be a sequel to this book and I will definitely be on the lookout for it! Thanks to Kensington Publishing for giving me a chance to read this book.
Challenges: YA Challenge
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling

What a way to start off the new year!! I LOVED this book! There was so much hoopla (is that even a word?) surrounding these books that I was hesitant to give them a try. Plus I don't usually read fantasty type books...hmmm...maybe it would be more truthfull to say that I tend to shy away from this genre and I'm not sure why. It looks like I need to try more books out like this. Anyways-back to Harry Potter.

I loved the way Rowling described Hogwarts and everything in the book for that matter. I could picture it in my mind and I fell in love with the world that she created. The entire book was memorable and I will be coming back for more. My favorite part of the book was reading about quidditch-what fun! I definitely recommend this book-if you haven't read this series then give it a try. Someday, when my son is older, I will read this book again with him I hope..but for now I think I'll move on to the second book.

Challenges: 1st in a series, Young adult challenge, A-Z Challenge (Author-R)

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Young Adult Challenge

Here is the second challenge I've decided to join for 2008. It lasts all year long and consists of reading twelve books. I don't usually read young adult books so this will be fun and interesting for me.

Here is what I decided on:

• I Am The Messenger by Marcus Zusak
• Crank by Ellen Hopkins
• 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brasheres
• Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
• The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield (also 1st in series challenge)
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1st in a series challenge)