The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Blurb: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Review: So finally I have read The Hunger Games. Or at least, the first book. I knew that from the time I found out they were making a movie about this book that everyone was going on about that I had to read it. I mean, look at The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter. Only the really good books get made into movies (which is why Vampire Academy should be a movie, but I don't really have a say in that) so I knew that The Hunger Games was going to be a good book. And now, finally, I have gotten around to reading the first one! I honestly did not know what to expect, not sure if it was going to be like really adventurous (which I am hardly ever into) or super paranormal or what. All my guesses were pretty far off. I was not expecting the romance (but I wouldn't have loved it as much without the romance, since I am a huge romantic myself) and I was really surprised at how well Suzanne Collins told the story, especially considering she created this whole futuristic (I think) nation that live in a totally different society than we do. It was great! Katniss is such an easy-to-love character and the supporting characters in the book made her character that much stronger and more likable in terms of how she reacts and interacts with the other characters. I loved it! This is one of the best books I have ever read, which is saying something considering how much I love books, and if you haven't read The Hunger Games then I highly recommend you do. Because you know how all of your friends are nagging at you to read it and raving on about how awesome it is? They're right. You need to read it. And it is awesome!


Rating: LOVED IT

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

Blurb: Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.
When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?


Review: Here's the deal: I loved Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. But my love for those books were nothing compared to how I felt about The Golden Lily. It was breathtakingly awesome and I adored every word of this book. Sydney is one of my favourite characters that I've read in a while (apart from Rose, of course) and she just totally makes these books. The storyline alone is great, but Sydney's character just makes it that much better! I know I'm gushing, but seriously, I waited a year for this book (and I have to wait another year for the next one. Grrr...) and it had to be worth it! And it was it was worth me depriving myself of chocolate for three months so that I could afford it (even then I had to borrow a dollar off my little sister!) because it is just that great! The romance between Sydney and (WARNING: Spoiler!) Adrian was so perfect that the ending  made me want to throw the book across the room when she stuffed it all up! And the fact that I have to wait until Feb next year didn't help matters at all, but oh well. I'll just have to deal. As well as the Sydney/Adrian romance there was the Sydney/Brayden relationship. I didn't really give Brayden much of a chance though, because I am 100% Team Sydrian and that would be so against what I think should happen (Sydney and Adrian get together and triple-date with Rose & Dimitri and Lissa & Christian). But they were cute together, even though it was killing me that she was hurting Adrian like that even though she didn't realize it! It was definitely a relief when they split up. As always, if you haven't read it, then hurry up! Not every book is flawless and excruciatingly addictive and thoroughly romantic while being packed with suspense and a little bit of action! (This one is, though.) So my verdict is: one of the best books I have ever read!


Rating: LOVED IT

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Blurb: CHEW. SWALLOW. CHEW. SWALLOW. DON'T LOOK UP. Lunch is the worst, but there’s no safe place at school for Noelle. Keeping her mortifying home life a secret and trying to ignore the kids who make her life miserable are Noelle’s survival strategies. Her emotionally distant boyfriend, Matt, isn’t the one she really wants to be with. But there’s no way she could ever be with Julian Porter.When Julian starts talking to her, Noelle is terrified. It seems safer to stay with Matt than risk a broken heart. But when the bullying of a friend goes too far, Noelle realizes it’s time to stand up for herself—and for everything that makes her keep holding on.


Review: OMG! I have so much to say about this book! It is by far THE MOST powerful book by Susane Colasanti I have ever read! I felt so many different emotions through-out this book, sometimes even at the same time! Some parts, like when the bullying Noelle receives gets really bad, I was nearly in tears. Other times I was so angry at Noelle's mother that I didn't know what to do with myself and almost threw the book across the room. And then there were moments that I had happy tears in my eyes because the things Noelle's friends do for her is so sweet! While there were some really sad parts of this book that made me not sure if I wanted to read anymore for fear of reading an especially sad part, but I read on, and Yay! I am so glad that I kept reading. The end was so inspiring, and it was so worth my many tears over this book! All in all, a very inspiring read, with a very clear message : Keep Holding On! Susane Colasanti did an awesome job using her own experiences with bullying to make Noelle's story that much better! It was an awesome book that I know I will keep with me for a very long time, and I highly recommend reading it!


Rating: LOVED IT