Mafia Girl Review

ARC Provided Via Netgalley

Title: Mafia Girl

Author: Deborah Blumenthal

Publish Date: March 1 2014

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 256

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via Netgalley)

"What's in a name? Everything… if you have my name." At her exclusive Manhattan high school,  seventeen-year-old Gia is the most hated/loved girl in school. Why? Her father doesn't have a boss. He is the boss—the capo di tutti cappi, boss of all bosses. Not that Gia cares. But life gets complicated when she meets a cop she calls  "Officer Hottie" and feels a suprising  chemistry. Then Vogue magazine wants to feature Gia in a fashion spread about real-life bad girls. On top of this, she's running for class president. Can Gia step out from under her dad's shadow and show everyone there's more to her than "Mafia Girl?"

Mafia Girl follows Gia, who is the daughter of a don, who falls in love with a police officer. This certain police officer meets Gia after arresting her and her friend for reckless driving, and as soon as Gia sets her eyes on him she immediately is drawn. In a way you could describe this as lust and/or love it depends on how you interpret the way Gia thinks about him.

I found Mafia Girl to be a great novel for teenagers, such as myself. The characters all had difficult problems and anyone could relate to them, and I found that amazing. Gia was trying to search for herself and live up to expectations, Clive, a secondary character, is trying to contemplate the meaning of his own life, and Gia's family who try to stick together through the good, the bad, and everyone's thoughts of them.

The book does not just circle around Gia's love for "Officer Hottie", which made the book even more like-able. With YA contemporary readers see the main character just thinks constantly about the love of his/her life and everything else fades, but that is the complete opposite of what happens in this book. This book holds many morals with all of the things Gia has to go through in school, her home, and her love life. Mafia Girl does not include much about the mafia throughout the entire book. In the middle the mafia was mentioned less and less than in the beginning and the end. I believe that the amount off mafia in this book was just the perfect amount and was not thrown overboard.

I would recommend this book to anyone, because of all the relate able life problems and how the characters come to face and solve them.


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Hollow City Review

Title: Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books

Publication Date: January 14th 2014

Pages: 396

Genre: Ya, Sci-Fi, Paranormal

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London the peculiar capital of the world. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reacting experience.

This story was so much better than the first one. I was one of the people who could not stand the story at all, so when I saw this book for $10 dollars and heard that it was so much better than the first one, I gave in. I found that this book is completely different than the first book. The hype over this book did not make this book any less enjoyable to read, compared to the first book.

This book starts off right after Miss Peregrine's leaves off. It took me a little to remember what happened, but I soon gathered everything and was on my way through the book. The children go through many obstacles in this book and it is action packed. There were some moments that were dull that made me rate it lower than I would have.

I believe that Ransom Riggs really collected himself on this book and he made me change my mind about this trilogy, I believe. The writing was so much better and it kept me hooked. I found myself reading in my own Jacob voice in my head. That is how believable the writing is. The characters were also more well-managed in this sequel. The characters were more introduced and explained. This helped me understand more about the story as a whole. This book just had so much world and character building that made the story easier to follow and to understand why things are happening.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has read thee 1st book, whether they enjoyed it or not. I did not like the first book, but this one blew my mind, because it was so much better. Whatever you thought the first book was lacking this book had and it had lots of it.

Legacy Review

Title: Legacy (Biodome Chronicles #1)

Author: Jesikah Sundin

Publisher: Just Imagine...

Publication Date: January 20th 2014

Pages: 499

Genre: Ya, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

A sensible young nobleman, Leaf Watson, and his sister, Willow Oak, live a rustic medieval life rich in traditions and chivalry. Sealed inside an experimental biodome since infancy, they have been groomed by The Code to build a sustainable community devoid of Outsider interference. 

They are unwitting pioneers on a path toward confined interplanetary homesteading. 

Life within their walled garden is predictable and peaceful until the unthinkable happens. With his dying breath, Leaf and Willow’s noble father bequeaths a family secret, placing an invisible crown of power on Leaf’s head. Grief-stricken and afraid for their lives, the siblings defy their upbringing by connecting with Fillion Nichols, a punk hacker who, unbeknownst to them, is linked to their lives in shocking ways. Their encounter launches Fillion into a battle with his turbulent past as he urgently decodes the many secrets that bind them together, a necessity for each to survive. 

Youth cultures clash when the high technology of the Anime Tech Movement collides with the Middle Ages in a quest for truth, unfolding a story rich in mystery, betrayal and love.

This book starts off following Leaf and Willow through the endeavors of having their father just die. Their world is much different then the world we live in, but it is not unrealistic. The world is more element friendly and medieval. The author explains it way better than I do, don't worry. Within the first 100 pages the author explains the world very richly and in detail that I found myself caught up within it.

There is also another piece of info that you should know. That world is encompassed by walls, and outside the walls there is another world. The real world. This blew my mind when I was reading the book and both worlds were described thoroughly and there was no lack in world building. Along with the amazing world building, I was lost in the amazing writing. The writing was very poetic at almost all times and it made the story more beautiful, even through the bad parts. Th author captured the emotions perfectly and the writing just brought everything together and made the story very enjoyable.

The story is told in three p.o.v. and I loved that. It was told in Leaf's, Willow's, and Fillion's p.o.v.. All of the characters are like able and they have the moments that you do not like them, but they are amazing characters. All of them are put together nicely and they fit into whatever world the belong to. 

the reason I did not rate it 5 stars is because of its slow pace. It might be that I am in a slump and do not want to read that much, or that it is slow paced.

I would definitely recommend everyone pick this up, because of the unique story line and idea of the book. I loved this book and can not wait for the second installment.

Dreamland Review

Title: Dreamland

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Speak

Publication Date: May 11th 2004

Pages: 250

Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

Wake up, Caitlin

Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He's magnetic. He's compelling. He's dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else--her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?

This story follows Caitlin through her hard life. She has her older sister run away from home on Caitlin's birthday. This unravels to show the reader that Caitlin was always in the shadow of her sister. Caitlin has the popular sister that everyone loved and knew, her own parents loved her just a little more. So with her sister running away the attention falls on Caitlin and this forces her to step outside of her comfort zone. 

This book is very real ad many people will be able to relate to it. I found myself relating to the book in the sense with her always coming second to her sister and needing an escape from trying to be perfect. Caitlin makes the choices that she feels are necessary and I could see myself making them as well. I felt myself really growing with the character and I related to her like a reader should.

Throughout this book the character grows in a way that makes you sad and devastated, but in the last chapter she grows into her own person. The person you could see her being from the very beginning. Dreamland is a heartbreaking novel that I believe is one of Sarah Dessen's best novels. The book really makes you question everything that happens and how certain people live their life's.  I believe this book captures the essence of the victims mind perfectly and it is and amazing book that proves that Sarah Dessen is an amazing writer.

More Than This Review

Title:More Than This

Author: Patrick Ness

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: September 10th 2013

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Pages: 480

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

This book follows Seth who has no idea what is happening. The last thing he can remember is that he died. Now waking up, and not being dead confuses him, because that is the last and only thing he can remember. That is all I can tell you without spoiling anything further.

This book is as mind blowing as everyone says. It keeps you on the edge of your seat whether you are confused or not. In the beginning of the book I was very confused. Possibly even more confused than Seth was with his life, but as the story progressed and the more insight I got made this book very enjoyable. I loved the flashbacks of Seth's memories, because it was just like another world.

This story questions the purpose of life and the universe. Is this moment in time real, or just a dream? Is there anything  more than this? Patrick Ness weaves a world where all of these questions are put into play and it really makes you question how everything is right now in time.

I fell in love with the main character, Seth. I found him to be really relate able and I could really put myself in his shoes. No matter what decision he made, I always believed it was the right one. I also loved the secondary characters. I cannot give to much about that, but just know that Patrick Ness writes in such a way that even the smallest characters grab your attention and affection.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an amazing read and that is not afraid of being totally confused and left with an open ending. I highly recommend that people pick this up because of the story, writing, and experience.

Freak of Nature Review

Title: Freak of Nature (IFICS #1)

Author: Julia Crane

Publisher: Indie Inked

Publication Date: January 9th 2014

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Romance

Pages: 284

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.


The story follows Kaitlyn through her new life. She has no idea what happened to her before she became a cyborg. As the story goes on she learns more about her past and who she used to be. She has a best friend who helps her feel more human and a doctor who she loves. The doctor she loves is Lucas and we find out that he loves her to, but he believes that she does not feel human emotion anymore.

The story is in Kaitlyn and Lucas' p.o.v. I liked this, because I wondered what it was like for Lucas at some points and as a reader that curiosity was filled with the writing. I found myself losing focus throughout the book. it was a good book, but it did not jump out at me and it was just another read to add to the list. I liked the idea and some of the writing, but I found that it was not grabbing my attention like a book should.

At times I found the book to be a little cliche and that turned me off of it as well. I also found myself hating the main character at some points as well as Lucas.

Kaleidoscope Review

Title: Kaleidoscope (Colorado Mountain #6)

Author: Kristen Ashley

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Publication Date: February 4th 2014

Genre: New Adult, Romance/Contemporary

Pages:  416

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: (Via GoodReads)

When old friends become new lovers...anything can happen.

Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at "hello." His relationship with Emme's best friend kept them apart for years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone, Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing that's ever happened to her? 

It isn't easy to catch Deck off guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into his life after nine long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she's a bona fide knockout . . . and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck, however, wants more. Emme's always been the one; she excites Deck's body and mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme's past overshadows their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she'll let him . . .

This story follows Deck, a.k.a Jacob, and Emme, a.k.a Emmanuelle. They were acquaintances 9 years before because Deck wen out with Elsbeth who was Emme's best friend. As the story unfolds the reader learns that they had a special relationship that Deck did not have with Elsbeth. Deck and Emme connected in a spiritual way and they constantly challenged each other in ways that no one else did. Kristen Ashley goes more in depth to the reason why they broke off contact and that made me root for them even more than I was.

The story picks up 9 years after the last time they spoke and I found myself a little confused in the beginning, but I was brought in the clear very fast. At first I thought Emme was just an easy girl that did not care if she had a boyfriend or not, but as the conversations between her and Deck become more developed, you will see that is not true.

This book is an amazing read! I found myself relating with the characters and I grew emotionally connected with them. The character growth was exceptionally done and I appreciated the way she did it, and was so happy to see them grow. Kristen Ashley's writing is very beautiful and it keeps you reading. This book and the writing reminds me of an adult version of the Pushing The Limits series by Katie McGarry. As I was reading I could see the similarities, but I did not mind because they are both different at the same time. I would recommend this to any woman/girl looking for an amazing romance novel for Valentines day and also to fans of Katie McGarry's series that are looking for more new adult books.