Review of Once Was a Time by Leila Sales

Title/Author: Once Was a Time by Leila Sales
Publisher/Date published: Chronicle Books, April 5th 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

Goodreads summary: In the war-ravaged England of 1940, Charlotte Bromley is sure of only one thing: Kitty McLaughlin is her best friend in the whole world. But when Charlotte's scientist father makes an astonishing discovery that the Germans will covet for themselves, Charlotte is faced with an impossible choice between danger and safety. Should she remain with her friend or journey to another time and place? Her split-second decision has huge consequences, and when she finds herself alone in the world, unsure of Kitty's fate, she knows that somehow, some way, she must find her way back to her friend. Written in the spirit of classic time-travel tales, this book is an imaginative and heartfelt tribute to the unbreakable ties of friendship.

I LOVE Leila Sales' writing, so there was a LOT of pressure on this book to be awesome. And while I did like it, it didn't blow me away.

I'm always intrigued by timetravel and was curious to see how it would work out in this MG novel. And it was a very interesting concept, the thing is that it never really gets explained how the timetravel works and why Charlotte is able to travel while her dad's been spending his whole life loooking for the answer and never really getting it. And I guess I just sorta needed that explanation, because at one point it seems like we're getting it, but then NOPE, sorry!

I was really feeling for Charlotte, she went through a very traumatic experience and then ends up in the future all by herself, trying to make sense of the world that is all of a sudden filled with internet and all of the electric appliances that we now have basically everywhere. All by herself without her best friend and her family, she totally rallies though! She finds her safe place: the library (AWESOME) and things start to happen from there.

Charlotte seems like a nice girl, but she sorta loses herself in the drama that's a mean girl phase at school. And the figuring out of the whole timetravel thing gets put on the backburner until she finds a clue and then we're back in business! I felt that the ending was a bit bittersweet, but I did like it. The thing is that I was never fully emerged in the story and while I did like the way Leila Sales wrapped it up, I still have so many questions!

It was cute though, just not the amazing that I've come to expect from Leila Sales.

My rating: 3 stars

Review of The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale

Title/Author: The Forgotten Sisters (Princess Academy #3) by Shannon Hale
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury USA Children's, March 3rd 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: After a year at the king’s palace, Miri has learned all about being a proper princess. But the tables turn when the student must become the teacher!

Instead of returning to her beloved Mount Eskel, Miri is ordered to journey to a distant swamp and start a princess academy for three sisters, cousins of the royal family. Unfortunately, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus are more interested in hunting and fishing than becoming princesses.

As Miri spends more time with the sisters, she realizes the king and queen’s interest in them hides a long-buried secret. She must rely on her own strength and intelligence to unravel the mystery, protect the girls, complete her assignment, and finally make her way home.

Fans of Shannon Hale won’t want to miss this gorgeously woven return to this best-selling, award-winning series.

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES***

Guys, this series is wonderful. I love the world Shannon Hale has created and Miri is an awesome heroine, funny and witty and intelligent and just a girl I can rally behind.

I really enjoyed reconnecting with this world and all the characters in The Forgotten Sisters and meeting new friends! Cause that's how Shannon Hale's writing makes me feel, like I'm meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. It took us some time to get used to each other again, but after that we had a lot of fun. I thought the politics in the first two books were not so easy to navigate, but The Forgotten Sisters adds another layer of intricate plotting and secrets and just a whole lot of WHAT?? when Miri and I discovered what it was exactly that was going on.

I like that we got to explore another part of the world Miri lives in, while holding true to the people and places we've been introduced to before. And like I mentioned before, Miri is pretty awesome. I really liked the bantery relationship she has with Peder. Those two truly care about each other and I think they make a great couple. It's filled with mutual respect and love and it's a great example.

I also really appreciate how much girlpower there is in this series, without being all rah-rah boys are inferior. I mean, Shannon Hale shows how boys and girls can work together and how everyone has their own set of talents, regardless of gender. It's a pretty awesome message to send in my opinion.

Shannon Hale has a real gift for storytelling and I definitely enjoyed myself while reading The Forgotten Sisters, it's sweet and chamring and funny and I would just really recommend this series as whole!

My rating: 4 stars

Review of The Swap by Megan Shull

Title/Author: The Swap by Megan Shull
Publisher/Date published: Katherine Tegen Books, August 26th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: “YOU BE ME... AND I'LL BE YOU.”

ELLIE spent the summer before seventh grade getting dropped by her best friend since forever. JACK spent it training in “The Cage” with his tough-as-nails brothers and hard-to-please dad. By the time middle school starts, they’re both ready for a change. And just as Jack’s thinking girls have it so easy, Ellie’s wishing she could be anyone but herself.

Then, BAM! They swap lives — and bodies!

Now Jack’s fending off mean girls at sleepover parties while Ellie’s reigning as the Prince of Thatcher Middle School. As their crazy weekend races on — and their feelings for each other grow — Ellie and Jack begin to realize that maybe the best way to learn how to be yourself is to spend a little time being someone else.

Guys, I'm a big fan of the fun that ensues when you have two people switch bodies, I LOVED Freaky Friday, I think I've watched that movie a thousand times (which is in part due to the hotness that is Chad Michael Murray, but that's beside the point). So a guy and a girl switching bodies sounded kinda perfect to me.

And it was a whole lot of fun! I really liked both Ellie and Jack, they're good people and needed a little outside perspective on their problems. I totally LOVED Ellie's mom and Jack's brothers! Both of them have so much love in their families and I just want to hug Ellie's mom and Jack's brothers. They're awesome. That's what a family should be like.

I liked how protective Ellie and Jack got of each other when they were in the other's body and how they stand up for each other. It might have caused a bit of trouble, but things really could start to change after that. Ellie's mean girl situation is harsh, but unfortunately that is how girls are at that age sometimes, I've seen it go down in real life, and it's not pretty, but Megan Shull painted a realistic picture of how friendships can go south and how you can have some awesome people in your life without even realising it.

This was just a fluffy, adorable read and I really liked it. It's MG and just a cute read, if you like body-swapping type of stories like me, you'll really enjoy The Swap!

My rating: 4 stars

Review of A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

Title/Author: A World Without Princes (The School For Good and Evil #2) by Soman Chainani
Publisher/Date published: HarperCollins, April 15th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending, she reopens the gates to the School for Good and Evil. But the world she and Sophie once knew has changed.

Witches and princesses, warlocks and princes are no longer enemies. New bonds are forming; old bonds are being shattered. But underneath this uneasy arrangement, a war is brewing and a dangerous enemy rises. As Agatha and Sophie battle to restore peace, an unexpected threat could destroy everything, and everyone, they love — and this time, it comes from within.

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES***

Guys, I adored The School For Good and Evil, the first book in this series (why do I keep trying to write The School for FOOD and Evil?), it was so cute and boarding school awesomeness and just YES! So obviously I was excited to get to read the sequel!

So Agatha and Sophie are back in business! They start out at their village but obviously they get back to the School, HOORAY! Everything is in shambles because of Agatha's wish and it's now the School for Girls and Boys instead of Good and Evil, so Evers are thrown with Nevers, all the girls on one side and all the boys on the other, so EPIC battle of the sexes! It was kinda scary how every fairytale got turned upside down and all the princes were cut out of it or thrown to the wolves after they'd served their purpose, but also a whole lot of fun.

I actually liked Sophie better this time around than Agatha. I felt like Sophie was a truer friend, even though there were still moments when I wanted to shake her. But especially towards the end of the novel, there were those moments where I just wanted to hug Sophie and tell her everything would be ok and I'd totally be her friend cause she's awesome.
I still really like Agatha, but I felt that she was less in this friendship and I can get where she's coming from, but it wasn't always nice. Especially towards the end. I really didn't like her towards the end.

And while I really liked the whole spin on everything and the fairytales and just going on adventures with Sophie and Agatha again, this one worked a teensy bit less for me than The School for Good and Evil did. There was a little less excitement and I missed the classes, there was some of it, but I would have liked to have so much more of the actual school in there!

But it was still a really sweet story with some harshness thrown in that I had not seen coming and intrigue and just another wholehearted YES! And OMG THAT ENDING! Give me the next book NOW!

My rating: 4 stars

Review of The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Title/Author: The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani
Publisher/Date published: HarperCollins, May 14th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: “The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.”

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed — Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

Guys, there's pretty much nothing I love better than magical boarding schools! Seriously, I will pretty much pick up anything if it mentions even a hint of this in the summary. And The School for Good and Evil was such a fun book!

We meet Sophie and Agatha in their village, everything Sophie does is geared towards getting picked to go to the School for Good and Evil and become a fairytale princess. This is probably even the reason why she's befriended Agatha, who appears to be a shoe-in for the Evil side of the school. I adored the interaction between these girls and how two opposites can be true friends!

And OMG, the SCHOOL!! Seriously! It was just wonderful! Nothing will ever beat Hogwarts, but this school does put up a good fight! I loved all the classes, such as Uglification and Animal Communication and how both Agatha and Sophie excell in them, especially how Sophie doesn't really WANT to be good at Evil, but manages to be anyway. There were some laugh out loud funny moments and I loved it!

Sophie is the pretty girl who is determined to get what she wants, and she's not above using dirty tricks and even people to get her way. Sometimes she even forgets that she's actually a nice person and a friend to Agatha in her drive to be on the Good side of the school. And at these moments, I really didn't like her. But she does redeem herself and I love that she changes her ugly clothes into dresses any fashionista would be proud to wear.

Agatha is the smart one. She works hard at both Sophie's and her own classes and while she's not exactly accepted by the other Good students, she remains true to herself. She's a loyal friend and I really liked seeing her grow as a person.

Of course there's a boy and things get a bit ugly and there's an evil that needs defeating. But what most shines about this book is the wonderful storytelling and the friendship between Sophie and Agatha. I really loved all the magical creatures and learning that there's more to the school than meets the eye. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, because I'm sure Sophie and Agatha aren't done having adventures!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Review of The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Title/Author: The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom (The League of Princes #1) by Christopher Healy
Publisher/Date published: Walden Pond Press, May 1st 2012
How I got this book: bought myself a pretty copy
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary:
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav.

You've never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel, but you probably know them all as 'Prince Charming'. Well, all that is about to change as the hapless princes stumble upon an evil plot and get a second chance to prove themselves true heroes.

Seriously, reading this book was one of my better decisions this month! It was SO MUCH FUN!

First off, you guys should know that I love fairytales. LOVE. And I love any book that deals with them or reads like one and this novel getting deeper into the different prince charmings out there is just SO MY THING!

I don't read many funny books, and I'm not sure why not, cause this was hilarious! I laughed out loud a couple of times, which earned me weird glances from the boyfriend at times. I loved getting to know the characters flaws and all and they've all earned a special place in my heart. But to be honest, I think my favourites are Liam and Duncan. Liam is what I'd want my prince charming to be like and Duncan is just so sweet! All four of them are great characters, but these two stole my heart.

I loved that we get to see them in their full glory and get a little more of a backstory on the princes, because, let's face it, it's mostly all about the princesses in fairytales. Most of them don't even have a name in the story and that's what's adressed in The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom.

I read this in no time at all and was highly entertained the whole time. The writing if witty, funny and engaging, I really fell for these characters and was rooting for them! It's a bit of a silly romp, but sometimes you need that in your life and it made for a great read-a-thon read! I already have The Hero's Guide To Storming The Castle staring at me, so I'll be reading that soon :)

My rating: 4,5 stars

Review of Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Title/Author: Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2) by Shannon Hale
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury Children's Books, August 21st 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley.

Goodreads summary: "Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city."

***WARNING: SPOILERS POSSIBLE FOR BOOK 1***

So, only a little while ago I read Princess Academy and absolutly LOVED it! So imagine my excitement when I could almost immediately move on to the sequel! Sadly, I think this one worked somewhat less for me than Princess Academy did.

It took me a freaking week to read it! Which is slightly embarassing and not really a reflection of the book whatsoever as I was just crazy busy and I probably would have finished it sooner if I wasn't. That said, I didn't really find myself constantly thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it and didn't feel an irresistible urge to pick it up no matter how busy I was.

I loved Miri in Palace of Stone just as much as I did in Princess Academy. She's young and she makes mistakes, but she owns them and tries to fix it when faced with the less than desirable outcome of said mistakes. I love her courage and her resourcefulness. I love that she's a good, loyal friend and that she calls people on their bullshit.

And there are so many other characters for me to love! I mean, Peder stole my heart in Princess Academy and even though he's mostly all clueless boy, he's just adorable and sweet and I love the moments between Miri and him.

I didn't much care for most of the new characters that were introduced. I thought they were pretty ruthless and taking advantage of Miri's naivety. The one person I did really like in the end was the queen, because she learns to exert her influence and stand up for what she believes in.

The storyline is darker than in Princess Academy, and that's ok, because they grow older and are faced with real world problems outside of the ones they faced on Mount Eskel. I love that we delve a little deeper into the linder lore and there are some nice twists due to it.

Overall I did really enjoy Palace of Stone, but I didn't LOVE it. I think it was mostly due to the set of new characters that I wasn't really taken with. I do think these two books are wonderful and if I had a little girl in my life, I would gladly pass them on to her to read them, because I think they're adorable and have a powerful message, especially Princess Academy.

My rating: 4 stars

Review of Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Title/Author: Princess Academy (Princess Academy #1) by Shannon Hale
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury, first published 2005
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.
Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates."

Guys, every once in a while I read an MG book and I usually find myself fully immersed in it and being all kinds of happy because they're so fun and cute! Princess Academy is no exception, it was SO GOOD!

With Princess Academy, Shannon Hale has created a fairytale world full of characters for me to love! Miri is such a sweetheart and I loved her spirit! She's always thought everyone looked down on her for not working in the quarry because her father wouldn't let her and is trying to make up for it by putting a smile on people's faces. She loves her family very much and is loyal to her friends and is just all around a really strong girl. Guys, I could see me and Miri being friends if we ever met. She's the kind of girl you WANT to be friends with because she's awesome.

I loved how at the Academy they taught the girls varying subjects, from reading to dancing to economics and diplomacy! If you might get to rule the country in the future, it's important you know more than how to plan a dinner party and I love that Shannon Hale let them have a broad education! Also, the things that change after they've been introduced to all this knowledge goes to show how much you can benefit from going to school and how just knowing how to read can change your life and can change a community.

There were some mean girls who were slightly annoying, but when you get to know everyone a little better, you find that they have a reason for their behaviour and are not just trying to be nasty. The part where the prince enters the story was nice and it didn't turn out like I expected it to in the end, but that was actually great cause it was kinda perfect like this (yes, I know I'm being vague, but SPOILERS).

There's a sweet little romance brewing between Miri and a boy who is all kinds of sweet boyness and I'm really rooting for them! I was so feeling for the poor boy because Miri gave him some mixed signals, but I don't think she was aware of this at the moment.

I'm so happy there's a sequel! It can be easily read as a standalone, but this world is just so magical that I think I'll find myself happily spending some time there with Palace of Stone! If I ever have a daughter, this will be one of the books I shove into her hands cause I think I would have read it to pieces when I was younger.

My rating: 5 stars

Review of Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

Title/Author: Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury Children's Books, May 8th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "In Abby’s world, magic isn’t anything special: it’s a part of everyday life. So when Abby learns that she has zero magical abilities, she’s branded an “Ord”—ordinary, bad luck, and quite possibly a danger to society.
The outlook for kids like Abby isn’t bright. Many are cast out by their families, while others are sold to treasure hunters (ordinary kids are impervious to spells and enchantments). Luckily for Abby, her family enrolls her in a school that teaches ordinary kids how to get around in a magical world. But with treasure-hunting kidnappers and carnivorous goblins lurking around every corner, Abby’s biggest problem may not be learning how to be ordinary — it’s whether or not she’s going to survive the school year!"

Every once in a while I read an MG inbetween my YA and adult historical romances and I usually end up smiling my way through them. Ordinary Magic was no exception! It was adorable and I kept just wanting to hug pretty much all of the characters!

Also, I loved how Caitlen Rubino-Bradway dealt with the issue of Abby being an Ord. It's generally not accepted and people even go as far as selling their children when they find out about it. The prejudice against Ords was just mindblowing. In my mind I kept comparing it to how people react to someone being gay or of a different nationality or skin color or religion because it is THE SAME. And it needs to stop! It's sick how much the treatment of Ords reminded me of those issues, especially with them being afraid they'd 'catch' it and generally not caring if something happened to them because they were 'just Ords'.
I loved how Caitlen Rubino-Bradway handled such a tough subject in a MG novel and managed to make it fun and something to think about at the same time.

I really liked Abby, she's a lovely girl and can I just say how much I loved her family?? I mean, she had an amazing loving family and especially after discovering how people usually react to their kid being an Ord I loved them for how they didn't treat her differently. The family is so close and I just loved the dynamics between the siblings. Also, I LOVED that one of Abby's brothers wrote historical romance! I mean: THAT IS SO COOL! And her big sister Alexa is pretty kickass awesome.

I loved the teachers and everyone at the school. And I really enjoyed the interaction between Abby and the other kids, especially the complicated relationship/friendship/whatever she had with one of the boys, Peter. There's some romantic tension brewing there and I liked that while there's probably something there, the author didn't go there with 12-year-olds.

The only thing that I didn't like was that the last part of the book just sort of ebbed out and then it just stopped. Though the story could sort of be seen as finished, the place where it ended felt off to me. Also, I can't find anywhere if this is a series. DOES ANYONE KNOW??? Cause it felt like there should be a sequel (and maybe several more) because of a lot of unfinished business. There are so many questions that haven't been answered and so much I want to find out about the world Abby lives in!

This was a cute, quick read dealing with not only fun but also a heavier subject that can be compared to actual problems in our world. Caitlen Rubino-Bradway has created an amazingly colorful world and a wonderful set of characters that I am begging to meet again in a sequel!

My rating: 4,5 stars

My Very UnFairytale Life by Anna Staniszewski

Title/Author: My Very UnFairytale Life by Anna Staniszewski
Publisher/Date published: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, November 1st 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: ""You know all those stories that claim fairies cry sparkle tears and elves travel by rainbow? They're lies. All lies."—Twelve-year-old Jenny has spent the last two years as an adventurer helping magical kingdoms around the universe. But it's a thankless job, leaving her no time for school or friends. She'd almost rather take a math test than rescue yet another magical creature! When Jenny is sent on yet another mission, she has a tough choice to make: quit and have her normal life back, or fulfill her promise and go into a battle she doesn't think she can win."

I love the concept of this book! I mean, seriously, who didn't dream of being sucked into a fairytale world and helping out magical worlds as a parttime job? I sure did (ok, I'll admit I still do). And to have it then backfire and leave you wishing for a normal life, very interesting! And a good example of the grass is always greener and all that.

I thought Jenny was a good person, if slightly naive and not always reasonable. But hey, she's 12 and she's allowed to be all that. And she apparantly was an extremely talented Adventurer. And while I get that this is an MG in which a kid is usually the hero, I didn't really understand why they didn't have more grown-ups to at least helpt the kids. I mean, I would have liked if there had been some sort of explanation for this.

I really liked Prince Lamb and was actually kind of disappointed that he didn't stay human because I thought he would make a wonderful boyfriend for Jenny. I thought the whole thing with the kingdom of Speak being under a curse that made them loose their mouth and the mystery around the bad guy was really good and there were some very funny moments in the book.

I am kind of wondering if this will turn out to be a series, though I can't find anything on it on Goodreads at the moment. There is some definite potential there!
This was a quick, cute read, it's not amazing, but definitely enjoyable!

My rating: 3 stars

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Title/Author: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury Children's Books, October 25th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one - other than Celie, that is - takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom."

THIS BOOK! Seriously, THIS BOOK! It was so extremely CUTE and awesome! If I had a little sister or cousin or any little girl in my life right now, I would give it to her. You want the little girls you know to read this book. Little boys too, though this feels to me more like something a girl would enjoy.

Almost the whole time I was reading this, I had a big smile on my face! It was adorable and funny and I loved how strong Celie and her brother and sister were, faced with everything! I mean, I don't know if I could have done all that if I was supposed to run a castle without my parents suddenly.

And the castle, seriously, the castle is AWESOME! I mean, really, living in something that is alive and thinking and adding rooms! And especially changing them so the luxury of your room showed how much it liked you! AMAZING! I LOVED the castle! And I loved that the castle loved Celie and vice versa.

And if you have a faded stuffed toy that changed into a real lion? You've got me! I so recognized the being teased about the faded, loved, old toy. And really, I just loved Celie, our main character. She was fabulous and such a caring, intelligent girl. I love smart girls!

I had never read a book by Jessica Day George before, but after this, I'll be sure to again. And you should all as well!

My rating: 5+ stars

Dael and the Painted People by Allan Richard Shickman

Title/Author: Dael and the Painted People (Zan-Gah #3) by Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher/Date published: Earthshaker Books, August 30th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher

Goodreads summary: "When Dael, guilty and tormented, came to live with the tribe of the painted people, he longed for peace and restoration; but without knowing it, he made a powerful enemy. Luckily, Dael had friends - including a troop of crows - and his own mystical powers. The disturbed and violent hero learns from the Children of the Earth, and from his submissive wife, a new way of life that is peaceful and generous."

I liked this book better than I did the second one in the series, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country. In that one, Dael annoyed me and was being all creepy and violent. In this one, he is still a bit creepy, but he's a more developed character and is learning to deal with his rage and with what happened to him in the past.

The one thing that has bothered me in this series as a whole: there is virtually no dialogue. Everything is related, but there's no dialogue. And there's a whole lot of telling instead of showing going on.

But anyway, I really enjoyed the different cultures Shickman presents in his novels. In every one we meet a new tribe/group of people and they all have their own quirks, it's really nice! The painted people were so interesting! And I loved how Sparrow came into her own finally.

I wasn't completely sold on Dael's miracles and powers. To me, his episodes of 'fainting' sounded more like epilepsy, with the flashes he sometimes saw before they happened and such. But well, the miracles show the power of mind over matter!

All in all, this was an enjoyable, quick read with a lot of cultural diversity!

My rating: 3 stars

Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt

Title/Author: Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher/Date published: Aladdin, October 4th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: "Avery LaDuke is in the market for a new best friend. Her former BFF, Sophie Burns, dumped her to hang out with the popular crowd at school. But the good news Avery's getting a new sister who's bound to be her new BFF too! Blake is her age and she's from New York. How cool is that? But things don't go quite as smoothly as Avery hoped. And what's with Blake becoming BFFs with Sophie? Huh?? That wasn’t supposed to happen!
When Avery gets put in charge of the eighth grade charity project, an on-line matchmaking service, she thinks she can use this project to get Blake back on her side. She decides to fix the matches so that Blake gets matched with Sam, the most popular boy in school, but when the matches come out something has gone seriously wrong! Not only is Avery matched with Sam, but the class advisor knows that someone tampered with the program. On top of that, Avery discovers that she actually kind of, sort of, likes Sam... and he likes her back. Torn between the guy she likes and her sister/best friend, Avery is left wondering: is there any possible way she can keep them both?"

I SO loved Avery! Avery is such a wonderful girl! She's nice and selfless and she so wants to be liked! She truly believes that because Blake is going to be her stepsister, they will be insta-best friends and I was so rooting for her that everything was gonna work out! She manages to land herself in some funny situations and well, this girl is just awesome.

Avery was so scared of loosing Blake as a friend that she denies herself the opportunity to be with the boy she likes. I don't think my 13-year-old self would have done that.

One other thing I loved about this book: Avery and Blake were both (mostly) ok with the fact their parents were getting married. There was no evil step-whatever going on. Things that went wrong weren't caused by spite, HOORAY for this!

Sam was adorable, really. He sounds like a boy 13-year-old me would have fallen head over heels for and I loved the boyness of him. He turns out to be such a sweetie!

Anyway, this was such a CUTE read! I really enjoyed the other novel I read by Lauren Barnholdt: Sometimes It Happens, and this one convinced me it's not a one-hit-wonder. I think I've found me a new author for my favourites list :)

My rating: 4,5 stars

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

Title/Author: Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country (Zan-Gah #2) by Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher/Date published: Earthshaker Books, September 26th 2009
How I got this book: received it from the publisher

Goodreads summary: "The prehistoric saga continues in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, the sequel to the award winning Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure. In this story, Zan s troubled twin brother, Dael, having suffered greatly during his earlier captivity, receives a ruinous new shock when his wife suddenly dies. Disturbed and traumatized, all of his manic energies explode into acts of hostility and bloodshed. His obsession is the destruction of the wasp men, his first captors, who dwell in the Beautiful Country. When he, Zan-Gah, and a band of adventurers trek to their bountiful home, they find that all of the wasp people have died in war or of disease. The Beautiful Country is empty for the taking, and Zan s people, the Ba-Coro, decide to migrate and resettle there. But the Noi, Dael s cruelest enemies and former tormentors, make the same migration from their desert home, and the possibility develops of contention and war over this rich and lovely new land."

Ok, so I enjoyed the first book in this series and while I didn't LOVE it, it was enjoyable and I liked it.
And I was wondering what new adventures Zan and his brother would go on in the next book.

Well, let's say that while I did not enjoy this book as much as the first one, I did still like it. One problem I had was that I could not sympathize with Dael. I get that he has suffered a great loss and has been emotionally scarred due to what happened to him in the first book. BUT. He is kind of evil. And totally out of control. He is scary!

I did like the romance thing between Zan-Gah and she-who-shall-not-be-named. He is such a boy and doesn't really seem to understand her or why he's hurting her. So typical ;)

If any of you have read it: I thought the time it took for the whole tribe to travel to the beautiful country was off, since Dael and Zan traveled there in the book and it seemed to only take days, not months. But I could be wrong.

There were scenes who were really brutal! Except for the violent parts, I would classify this as Middle Grade, but the violence is very graphic! I don't remember if there were things like this in the books I read way back when, but I think this could probably have given me nightmares.

Anyway, I did like this book and I really liked Zan-Gah. While he is sort of naive when it comes to his brother and his love-interest, he is a GOOD guy. And I like good guys.

My rating: 2,5 stars

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Title/Author: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
Publisher/Date published: HarperCollins, May 10th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Mysteries abound, especially in Two Castles.
A handsome cat trainer, black-and-white cats, thieves on four legs and two, suspicious townsfolk, a greedy king, a giddy princess, a shape-shifting ogre, a brilliant dragon. Which is the villainous whited sepulcher?
Elodie journeys to the town of Two Castles to become a mansioner—an actress—but luck is against her. She is saved from starvation by the dragon Meenore, who sends her on a dangerous mission inside the ogre's castle. There, disguised as a kitchen maid at an ogre's feast, she finds herself cast in the role of a lifetime and pitted against a foe intent on murder."

I have been meaning to read, well, ANY book by Gail Carson Levine, because I've heard great things about them. And I really liked the movie Ella Enchanted. This book is MG, so it's aimed at a slightly younger group than what I usually read.

And it was so sweet! Really, this is such a sweet, endearing read. It took me back to the days when I wanted to be friends with a dragon and go on quests involving castles. Oh, who am I kidding, I still would love to do just that!

Elodie is a sweet girl, wanting to make a living as a 'mansioner', which is the same as acting I believe, instead of the weaving carreer her parents had pictured for her. She leaves home and travels to the big city, with two castles. In one lives an ogre and in the other the king and princess. Elodie befriends the dragon who also lives in the city and becomes IT's apprentice. Yes, IT, because only a dragon ITself knows IT's gender.

Actually, I was a bit annoyed by the constant use of IT (all in capitals all the time). And I'm still wondering whether the dragon was a male of female. I did love the whole deducing and inducing thing the dragon had, IT also solved mysteries.

The whole town was filled with cats because people are afraid of the ogre. And guess what? If cats concentrate in groups on an ogre, he or she can't help but turn into a mouse. I mean, how cool is that for an ogre characteristic? I thought it was totally original! In this case, the ogre was extremely friendly, so I was all for him not turning into a mouse, but still.

I did like this book, but I think I would have loved it more if I'd been younger. I do think it's a wonderful children's book and though I figured out who was behind it all, I thought it was really clever.

My rating: 3,5 stars

The Royal Treatment by Lindsey Leavitt

Title/Author: The Royal Treatment (Princess For Hire #2) by Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher/Date published: Disney-Hyperion, May 3rd 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Desi Bascomb's job as a princess substitute has gotten a whole lot more glamorous now that she's advanced to Level 2 within the Facade Agency. Magical make-up, roller-skating celebrities, and the chance to see Prince Karl again are just some of the major perks. Not to mention, she's landed the role of Fairy Queen in her school's production of Midsummer's Night Dream (opposite her best friend's crush. Which is a little weird, but at least he wears a donkey head during their kissing scene). Life should be perfect, but Desi can't seem to shake the feeling that there is more going on with the agency's magic than she's told. Like why is this mind-bending power exclusive to royals? Is it possible that there could be a bigger way to make an impact in both parts of her life?"

I really enjoyed Princess For Hire and I was glad I could almost immediately continue with The Royal Treatment, cause I was excited to find out what adventures Desi would get into this time.
And let me just say that I was not disappointed! I loved this one more than the first book, it was wonderful!

Desi is such a lovable heroine! She has my kind of humor and gosh, I'd want her as my friend. She's spunky and if she wants something she goes the extra mile to get it, which I respect.
I didn't mention it in my review of Princess for Hire, but I'm a huge Reed-fan. HUGE! He is extremely crush-worthy. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what will happen with him.

In Princess for Hire there's a Prince Karl situation, that I wasn't really sure what to think of, but let me just say that this book made me very, very happy about that. And I hadn't seen it coming. And I LOVED that I didn't see it coming! I annoy myself by guessing how plot twists will work out and am always happy when I get surprised by things. Pleasantly, in this case.

The ending makes me whish for the next book already! I'm intrigued by how Leavitt left things and 2012 cannot come soon enough with the third book in this wonderful series! It's such a cute read and I can't get enough of it.
If I ever have a daughter I'm going to put this series in her hands and make her read it, I think they're that good.

My rating: 5 stars

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Title/Author: Princess for Hire (Princess for Hire #1) by Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher/Date published: Disney Hyperion, March 16th 2010
How I got this book: bought it

Goodreads summary: "When Desi Bascomb gets discovered by the elite Facade Agency–royalty surrogates extraordinaire – her life goes from glamour-starved to spectacular in a blink. As her new agent, Meredith, explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?
Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off – and you know she would want you to change his mind?
In this hilarious series debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time."

I so loved this book! It's totally cute and if I ever have a daughter, I'd give this to her to read. I think this would have been one of those books I would have devoured again and again as a kid if I'd read it back then.

Desi is a sweet girl, who, like so many girls her age, has a crush on a cute-but-a-bit-vapid boy she goes to school with. I know I had such a crush when I was 11. And probably more than one. Anyway, he is sort of dating her former best friend-turned-evil and this is a constant source of insecurity for Desi. I loved that she stays true to herself, even though she wants to fit in so badly.

I loved the whole concept of princesses hiring substitutes! The subs use a special powder to turn them into an exact copy of the princess they are working for. What I would give to have one of those compacts! Wouldn't it be wonderful to just be someone else for a day sometimes and getting paid to do just that?

Desi goes on 4 different jobs in the book and I loved how she dealt with the obstacles she got faced with. She really wants to make things better for other people and was very genuine. Sometimes she may not have thought things through, but that made it all the more fun to read about. I also really liked Meredith, her 'coach', she seemed bitchy at first, but she gradually warms up to Desi and I really liked the glimpse we get of her past.

I'm really excited to be reading the next one, The Royal Treatment, soon! I'm looking forward to new subbing adventures and more of Desi in general.
My rating: 4,5 stars

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Title/Author: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
Publisher/Date published: Feiwel & Friends, May 10th 2011
How I got this book: received an ARC from the publisher (can you believe it? My first ever printed ARC!)

Goodreads summary: "Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t... then the Marquess will make
life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday."

This book was such a sweet read! And can I just say that I love that every chapter had an illustration at the beginning? So pretty! And it was something I adored about fairytale books when I was little. And I still do.

I really enjoyed this take on Fairyland and the way it works and certain rules that almost always exist in these stories. I feel a bit cryptic saying this, but I really don't want to give anything away.

I loved the whole feel of it, September is a girl who can make anything happen. And she throws herself wholeheartedly into this adventure and I really liked her. And can I just say that I loved the green jacket! Is it weird that one of my favourite characters was a jacket? There was such emotion coming from it, major props to the author for that!

The way she described wyverns, I pictured A-Through-L as a huge chickenlike dragon. But luckily, the picture on the cover corrected me, which saved some weirdness. I loved the wyvern and his family. He seems so lovable and I just wanted to hug him. And as a kid I would have loved having a miniature version as a stuffed animal.
Oh, who am I kidding, I would love one now!

I really enjoyed reading it and I love looking at the illustrations, they're awesome!

My rating: 4 stars

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

Title/Author: A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1) by Brandon Mull
Publisher/Date published: March 15th 2011 by Simon and Schuster
How I got this book: received it through Simon and Schuster's Galleygrab programme.
Why I read this book: I've been meaning to read Mull's Fablehaven series, because I heard good things about his writing, so when I received this one I was excited to get to know a new to me author.

Goodreads summary: "Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable - until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes."

Let me start by saying this book is MG (you probably catch that bit from reading the summary, but still). I don't normally read MG and while I do think a book should be judged on its writing and not the age-category, it's good to keep in mind while reading something who it was meant for originally.

This book took me back to my 9-year-old self, I think I would have loved reading this book at that age. I still really enjoyed it now, but it would probably have been my new best friend back then. I did think some of the violence in the books would be shocking to MG readers, but the overall feel of the book is magical. Right at the start Mull had me smiling at Jason entering Lyrian by getting swallowed by a hippo. You don't get that in YA or adult fantasy!

Jason is a likeable boy and while what he really wants is to find a way home, he's not a reluctant hero. He and Rachel team up to try and free Lyrian from the tyrannical king. The king is a wizard and every wizard, no matter how powerful, can be destroyed using one word of power. So Jason and Rachel set off to gather the 6 pieces of this word, hidden throughout Lyrian. They make friends who help them and land in all kinds of trouble along the way.

I though Brandon Mull painted the picture of a truly magical world, the different races he created were really interesting and unlike anything I've encountered before. Though some parts were a bit predictable, I really enjoyed the story. I just wished I would have read this as a kid, so I could have really appreciated it the way it's meant to.

My rating: 3 stars