“Ruby said I’d never drown – not in the deep ocean, not by the shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone’s bottomless backyard pool … It sounded impossible, something no one would believe if anyone other than Ruby were the one to tell it. But Ruby was right: The body found that night wouldn’t be, couldn’t be mine.

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. After a night with Ruby’s friends goes horrible wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away – away from home, away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns home at last, she finds a precarious and deadly balance waiting for her. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.”

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It has been weeks since I finished reading this. Literally, weeks, and I still have no idea how to explain it? Is it contemporary, or is it paranormal? Or is it a mixture of both? This mess of a masterpiece leaves you thinking, literally, for weeks on end.

Chloe discovers fellow classmate, London’s body in the reservoir and is quickly stowed off to her father’s, leaving her best friend and sister, Ruby behind. Two years later, Chloe is back, and things are very different. So different that London has managed to come back from the dead.

I have no idea of what I think about the plot. The plot is so many things, and yet so few things as well. It’s a basic story of sisterhood, yet the underlying themes and added extras to the story make it so much more (and even more confusing). Despite having no real idea about the plot, it was an enthralling read that enchanted my eyes every single page of the way.

I’ll admit that at first, I really didn’t like Chloe, or Ruby. Both of them really, really annoyed me. Chloe seemed like the typical tag-along little sister, and Ruby just seemed stuck up, and both really frustrated me to no end. But their development was astounding and once I better understood them, it was much more intriguing. Despite the fact that I still had issues with Chloe by the end of the book, her whimsical narration was powerful, as well as unforgettable.

This leads me on to the writing. The writing, much a like Wither is so very lyrical. Executed beautifully, and quietly compelling, the writing was something out of a fairy tale with a very subtly haunting undertone. There’s really no other words for it except hauntingly lyrical.

This novel, in all its plotting mess, is a mesmerising and poignant read. With its strange characters, and off-kilter attitude, Imaginary Girls is an insanely good read for the weird. Or, really anybody.

Pages: 348
Publication Date : June 201
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Challenge: n/a
Rating: :

Savannah Colbert has never known why she’s so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It’s as if he’s a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she’s destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can’t stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences…

Savanahh used to be best friends with the Clann kids, until fourth grade, when they all turned against her. She doesn’t know what made them suddenly hate her, but she moved on and made new friends, doing her best to ignore the bullying of the more vicious Clann kids. The only Clann member she can’t seem to ignore, though, is Tristan Coleman. But he hasn’t even acknowledged her existence since that fateful day in the fourth grade. That is, until Savannah gets mysteriously sick for the first time in her life and returns to school after five days decidedly…different.

Boys can no longer seem to control themselves around Savannah. One look from her and it’s almost as if they’re possessed, love-stricken to the extreme. Savannah can no longer trust that any boy has real feelings for her, which is infuriating as Tristan has finally deigned to talk to her for the first time in years. Is he under the same spell as every other guy or is something different about him?

Darnell puts a really unique and interesting twist on vampire and witch legends in Crave. For those looking for a new vampire series, you should definitely pick up the first book in The Clann series. It reminds me of Twilight, except infinitely better. Darnell tells the story through both Savannah’s and Tristan’s points of view, which is an excellent decision on her part as Savannah and Tristan keep so many secrets that it would impossible to understand each characters’ motivations without the viewpoint switch. It also makes you fall in love with Tristan long before Savannah even realizes how amazing he is.

Darnell puts a lot of effort into grounding Crave in reality. The beginning starts a little slow, but this is necessary as it lets us fully slip into Savannah’s life so that later on, we experience the shock and surprise of her family’s origins just as much as she does. The somewhat slow beginning also gives dimension to Tristan, as well as all of Savannah’s close friends. Unfortunately, her friends sort of fall out of the picture for the entire middle of the book, which seems odd to me. But Savannah does lead a busy life, what with juggling after-school activities, boyfriends, and new friends. Still, I wish we’d see glimpses of her old friends throughout.

There is a lot to this book. It’s long, jam-packed with intrigue and mystery. Darnell does a good job of evenly dispensing necessary information, like Savannah’s and Tristan’s back-story, the history behind Savannah’s relationship with her dad, what the Clann really is, and so much more. There are so many things that need to be explained and Darnell does so effortlessly, never bogging down the story or forcing the issues. And all the answers to the inevitable questions are innovative and fresh, making it impossible to stop reading.

While Darnell’s superior world-building and three-dimensional characters are commendable, the highlight of Crave is the romance between Savannah and Tristan. It’s just so perfectly done — almost every scene involving the two gives me butterflies. This is probably due to how real the two characters feel, like people you might bump into at your own school. And they have history, so their relationship doesn’t spring up out of thin air. It’s almost painful in how slowly it develops, but the anticipation is so, so worth it. This is a relationship that pays off until the very last page, but be prepared for a huge cliffhanger. But this is a cliff you’re going to want to hang off of, eagerly waiting for the second book in The Clann series.

Pages: 416
Publication Date: October 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “No, no time for guilt right now. I had to focus on passing this test, and then we could go home. Just one test to pass. A test I was genetically destined to fail.“

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

Keenan is still missing and Aislinn is not happy. Someone has to run the Summer Court, and although she knows it must be her, she really wishes Keenan would return and help her. At least he has some experience with these things. Ash isn’t stupid, though, and knows that when he does return, she’ll have to make a choice – Seth, or the Summer King…

Her court needs her, that much is clear, and things definitely would definitely run better if the King and Queen had a united front, but her heart just isn’t in it. Although he’s very tempted by Keenan, she loves Seth. There’s just no way around it.

But Seth is gone a lot too. He vanishes into Faery for days and days at a time, reminding Ash that he too belongs to someone else now. How did things get so complicated? Why can’t she have her court and have Seth too?

Bananach is up to her crazy shenenigans again, causing chaos and havoc wherever she goes, only this time it seems that she’s playing for keeps. Kill or be killed – that’s how she’s playing now. Things are getting pretty crazy and Aislinn just doesn’t know what to do.

The Dark Court is also a bit of a mess. In the wake of Irial’s death Niall has gone all badass on us. He’s not coping with the loss of his friend, and he’s lashing out at anyone he can sink his claws into. You’ll never believe the cruelty he dishes out in the name of grief.

Darkest Mercy is the highly anticipated last book in the Wicked Lovely series. I think it’s safe to say that in this chapter, readers are given what they want. This is one of those series that has a storybook ending, and everyone and everything ends just as it should. Although it carries an element of predictability to it, Darkest Mercy is the perfect finale to an outstanding series.

Although saddened by the fact that its over, this is a world I love to get lost in, and will continue to do so many times over. Melissa Marr has a real talent for placing her readers right in the middle of all the action and I can’t wait to go back and start again. As we farewell our beloved characters, we wish Seth, Ash, Keenan, Donia and all of our Wicked Lovely friends the best!

Pages: 327

Publication date: 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Rating: :

Teaser Quote: Summer or not, there’s no one else in my bed. No one else ever has been there,” she reminded him.

You should never judge a book by its cover.

Sure…but they never said we couldn’t admire them. Cover of the Week pays homage to the beautiful and eye catching graphics that grace the covers of our young adult titles.

This week’s cover of the week goes to Pure by Julianna Baggott.

Release Date: February 2012

For those that have been living under a rock, Breaking Dawn Part 1 is the fourth movie in the Twilight Saga. This chapter opens with Bella and Edward taking their vows and walking down the isle. Viewers are invited to join Bella and Edward on their honeymoon where they enjoy each other’s company as a married-forever-and-eternity couple. While vacationing on a tropical island off the coast of Brazil, Bella and Edward finally give themselves over to each other – with catastrophic consequences. There’s a vampire baby growing inside of her, and it’s killing her from the inside out.

We’re sure that almost everyone on the planet knows the general gist of the storyline by now, so as far as plot summary goes, we think what we’ve provided you is sufficient enough.

I just got home from watching the film a second time and I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you. Most everyone who follows our site, or posts on the forum, knows that I was less than pleased with how the novel played out. There were just so many things I disliked about the storyline, the way the characters changed (especially Bella), and frankly, injecting a baby into the Bella and Edward fairytale just irritated me. I read it only once, and haven’t been able to bring myself to read it again.

I’ve also been a pretty big critic of the films thus far, and I’ve been very vocal on the issue.  With the exception of Eclipse (which I think passed by the very skin of its teeth), the Twilight Saga film franchise has been a huge disappointment, to say the least.

Until now.

Because of the intense dislike I developed for the book, I went into this movie wanting to hate it so badly.

I couldn’t.

From the very first scene, I was reeled in by its brilliance. Firstly, it seems that the actors have finally encompassed the characters that we all fell in love with in the novels. For the first time on screen, Bella and Edward were Bella and Edward. Robert Pattinson owned the role of Edward in this film. I don’t think I could have asked for a better performance from anyone. And Kristen…. Well lord knows I haven’t been a very big supporter of her as Bella but I think its finally time I ate my words. Kristen Stewart took Bella to the exact right place. Gone were the two emo kids that sulked their way around Forks. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s performances as Bella and Edward in this movie embody my very definition of perfection.

Here’s what I loved the most:

1. The speeches at the wedding. I don’t think Anna Kendrik could do a better job playing Jessica if she tried. And Charlie? We should all be so lucky to have a father like that…

1. The honeymoon, more specifically the parts where Bella is trying to seduce Edward. There was something really cute and intimate about those moments that made me smile. A lot.

1. The chess game. I love that they integrated that in.

1. The use of all the music they’d used in previous Twilight films. Especially the use of Flightless Bird at the wedding. The moment that song started I was instantly transported back to the pergola scene at the prom in Twilight. I was reminded (as I’m sure was the intention) of just how far Bella and Edward have come from the early stages of their relationship.

1. The birth scene/the death of Bella. The desperation Edward and Jacob felt at losing the one person in the world they loved the most was conveyed so well. I was very worried that they’d completely ruin this scene. I was (thankfully) wrong.

Here’s what I didn’t love so much:

1. Stephenie Meyer appearing at the wedding. I know, I know. I get it and I understand why she was there, but I just thought it was a little corny.

That’s it. I loved and adored absolutely everything else.

I am dying to hear everyone’s thoughts on this. I ask almost everyone I come into contact with if they’ve seen the film, just so I can talk about it. I’m definitely on a Breaking Dawn high right now, and I think making us wait another twelve months for the last film is just plain torture.

Join us on the forum to have your say, or leave a comment.

Breaking Dawn Part 1