The Burning by R.L. Stine

The Burning by R.L. Stine
Released: October 1st 1993
Published by: Simon and Pulse
Series:  The Fear Street Saga, Book Three
Page Amount: 179

"How did Fear Street gain its chilling reputation? Find out in the blood-chilling conclusion to R.L. Stine's terrifying trilogy. Journey back in time to when the Fear family first became evil, and Fear Street became a place of unspeakable terror." 
-Information from Goodreads.com



Over All Thoughts:
I fully enjoyed this novel. R.L. Stine is very creative with the stories in this series. I love the curse, the creepy setting to the novel, and the fact that I wasn't sure how it was all going to be in the end. 

I'm looking forward to picking up the rest of this series. I totally recommend this novel to those that loved R.L. Stine as a kid and to those that haven't read his work yet. Pick up The Betrayal and The Secret first. 

Hope you enjoyed this review, Ashley  


 

The Secret by R.L. Stine

The Secret by R.L. Stine
Released: September 1st 1993
Published by: Simon and Pulse
Series: The Fear Street, Book Two
Page Amount: 147


"In this terrifying new trilogy, R.L. Stine takes readers back in time, telling them finally the awful truth of what happened to the cursed Fear family and why their evil lives on. 

  Simon Fier meets an old gypsy who tells him his family will all die in a terrible fire. Terrified, he changes the family name to Fear, but he can't escape the curse."


-Information from Goodreads.com



Over All Thoughts: 
R.L. Stine is one of my favorite authors from my childhood. I had know idea he wrote books for young adults. I'm so glad to have found this series. The Fear Street Series is a good old spooky series from Stine. I felt myself going through the fear and loss with the characters. Also believing in the curse. R.L. Stine never lets me down when it comes to the creepiness. 

I totally recommend this novel to all the readers out there that love a good scary story. And who loved Goosebumps as a child. 

Gave it 5/5 stars!!

Hope you enjoyed my review, Ashley!! 

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries;Vol. 1 Origins Based on Novels by L.J. Smith and the TV series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec

The Vampire Diaries:Stefan's Diaries Vol. 1 Origins

Released: November 2nd 2010
Published by: HarperTeen
Series: The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries Book One
Page Amount: 256


"Set during the Civil War, against a backdrop of grand estates, unimaginable riches, and deadly secrets, three teenagers in Mystic Falls, Virginia enter a torrid love triangle that will span eternity.
Brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore are inseparable until they meet Katherine, a stunning, mysterious woman who turns their world upside down. Siblings turned rivals, the Salvatores compete for Katherine's affection, only to discover that her sumptuous silk dresses and glittering gems hide a terrible secret: Katherine is a vampire. And she is intent on turning them into vampires so they can live together-forever." -Information from Goodreads.com 



My Review:   I won Origins from First Reads on Goodreads.com. I haven't watched the TV show yet and I only read the first 2 books in the series. So my knowledge on the series is limited. But I did find Stefan's Diaries interesting. Even though I have heard L.J. Smith didn't have any in put into this novel.


I did like the book and learning about Stefan's live. Even though it is different from what I read in The Awakening and The Struggle. I will be reading Bloodlust when it comes out in January 2011.


So if you like the show and the books.  You should check it out.

Update

I just wanted to update you guys. I stopped reading Wings because its due back to the library. And at this time I just don't want to renew it because I have The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, Vol.1 Origin to read that  I won from Goodreads.com. I will try and get Wings again and the other 2 books in the future. Look for a review on The Vampire Diaries:Stefan's Diaries, Vol. 1 Origin soon.

Happy Reading, Ashley

In Dreams Begin by Skyler White

In Dreams Begin by Skyler White
Released: November 2nd 2010
Published by: Berkley Trade
Series:  Harrowing
Page Amount: 375




“Close your eyes tightly—tightly—and keep them closed . . .”

From a Victorian Ireland of magic, poetry and rebellion, Ida Jameson, an amateur occultist, reaches out for power, but captures Laura Armstrong, a modern-day graphic artist instead. Now, for the man or demon she loves, each woman must span a bridge through Hell and across history . . . or destroy it.

“Every passionate man is linked with another age, historical or imaginary, where alone he finds images that rouse his energy.” W. B. Yeats

Anchored in fact on both sides of history, Laura and Ida, modern rationalist and fin de siècle occultist, are linked from the moment Ida channels Laura into the body of celebrated beauty and Irish freedom-fighter Maud Gonne. When Laura falls—from an ocean and a hundred years away—passionately, Victorianly in love with the young poet W. B. Yeats, their love affair entwines with Irish history and weaves through Yeats’s poetry until Ida discovers something she wants more than magic in the subterranean spaces in between.

With her Irish past threatening her orderly present and the man she loves in it, Laura and Yeats—the practical materialist and the poet magus—must find a way to make love last over time, in changing bodies, through modern damnation, and into the mythic past to link their pilgrim souls . . . or lose them forever."
-Information on Goodreads. 




Overall Thoughts:
I received In Dreams Begin for review from Skyler White. I was totally excited and looking forward to reading this novel. However I wasn't expecting to not like the book and not understanding what was going on. I had to force myself to pick it up just to read a few pages and i had to put it down.  I got to page 148 and decided I just could not finish it. My reasoning for not liking In Dreams Begin are as followed, 1. I could not figure out what was going on 2. The chapters were too long for my liking   and 3. The wording was hard to understand. 

I'm disappointed that  I did not like or could finish In Dreams Begin. Maybe Dark Urban Fantasy isn't my reading genre. If you want to check out this book and see if its for you do so. Maybe you'll understand for more better than me. 

Hope you enjoyed my review, Ashley  

Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Released:  December 22nd 2009
Published by: Walker
Series: The Drake Chronicles ,Book One
Page Amount: 248
Edition: Hardcover




"On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.
Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart."
-Information from GoodReads.com.



Over All Thoughts:
Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey is told by the two point of views of Solange Drake and her best friend Lucy Hamilton. Solange is the only female vampire born not made in the Drake family ever. Problems arise because of these fact. There is a prophecy about Solange taking over Lady Natasha’s crown, Queen of the vampires. However Solange wants nothing to with the crown or the royal court. She just wants to live through her blood change in one piece. All of her brothers have survived but being the only female born as a vampire could make her change worse.




Without giving too much away, I loved Hearts At Stake, I think it would be loved by non-vampire fans. There is a ton of action and romance.

Gave 4/5 stars. I liked it but  I wasn't hooked.

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
 Released: April 27th 2010
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Series:  Whisper, Book One
Page Amount: 281


"I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own." -Information from Goodreads.com.


Overall Thoughts:  Phoebe Kitanidis' Whisper is an amazing debut novel. That  I really, really loved!!I wasn't bored at all while reading this book. Between Joy Hearing people's Whispers to Jessica's attitude towards the family gift. While Jessica sees it more as a curse. She tends to make others life's around her miserable because of Hearing their Whispers. But when things go sour between the sisters, and Joy uses her power to find her sister it brings them closer together. Brings a new understanding between Jessica and her mother. Joy finds a true friend to be the real Joy around. Jamie, who has a secret power of his own.

All and all an awesome read, there is some swearing in it. 

Hope you enjoyed my review, Ashley

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith



Released:  July 1st 2007 (first released 1991)
Published by:  HarperTeen
Series:   # 1-2 (Bind up)
Page Amount:  492
Edition: Paperback (borrowed from the library)

 



“Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.

Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them. “
- Information from Goodreads.com



 Over All Thoughts:

First off I’m really unhappy with myself that I put off reading this series. So with that being said, I loved The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith. I loved the romance, the drama, and the action. Elena is a strong female character, she can handle herself.  And her friends Meredith and Bonnie are amazing best friends a girl could ask for.

When Stefan Salvatore comes to Fell's Church, Virgina, the once peaceful town quickly has some murders happen. Everyone suspects Stefan because when he comes to Fell's Church he's very mystery to all the students and parents. The only one that knows his secret his Elena.

I don't want to give to much away. I really loved this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series. I recommend you picking up this book soon.

Hope you enjoyed my review, Ashley

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.


Here are the rules:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"Suddenly it was all too much for Elena. Nobody believed her, not even her friends and family. " -p. 270 The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L. J. Smith