Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

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Released: April 2006

Just Listen is the seventh YA novel by Sarah Dessen and the third novel I've read by this author. I'm an occasional reader of YA romance and I love Dessen's writing style, so I'll usually grab her titles when I see them at secondhand book stores.

Just Listen is about a high school girl named Annabel Greene who begins the new school year with a bad reputation thanks to rumors being spread about her by her former best friend Sophie. Even when modeling part-time when she's not in school, Annabel just can't seem to escape hearing about how she supposedly slept with her best friend's boyfriend.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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Released: June 2011

This #1 New York Times Bestseller by Ransom Riggs is absolutely enchanting. The back-cover synopsis didn't prepare me for the lovely story that unfolds during the first half of this novel. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the first installment of what is currently a 5-book series, with the fifth book due to release soon in January 2020.

Dreamworld's Synopsis

Teenager Jacob Portman has grown up listening to his paternal grandfather tell stories about monsters and the "peculiar" children with special powers with whom he was raised after escaping Poland during WWII. Jacob never took these stories seriously, thinking his grandfather was making them up for entertainment reasons, and maybe because he was also suffering dementia.

Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

fantasticfiction.co.uk

Released: March 2008

Chosen is the third book in the House of Night vampyre series by the Cast mother and daughter duo. It's getting REALLY hard for me to take a break from this series. It's just so fun! I'm loving the story so far. Like I mentioned previously in my review for Betrayed, I'm completely hooked!

Taking care of undead dead Stevie Rae

Chosen picks up shortly after the ending of Betrayed. It's Christmas time, and Zoey's friends are throwing her a birthday party, or "Birthmas" party. Zoey is desperately trying to enjoy her birthday celebration, but there's still so much going on behind the scenes for Z.

First of all, Zoey is still juggling her feelings for three different men: Erik Night, Loren Blake, and Heath -- the human with whom she's managed to Imprint. Second, Zoey is still working on coming to terms with the fact that her best friend Stevie Rae is dead -- or, at least, "undead dead," meaning the country gal is still technically alive, but without a soul. Third, Zoey must continue to keep High Priestess Neferet at arm's length, considering Neferet cannot be trusted and is confirmed to be the evil mastermind killing off vampyre fledglings and turning them into soulless, bloodsucking creatures like Stevie Rae.

Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

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Released: October 2007

Betrayed is the second novel in the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and daughter Kristin. I've already fallen in love with this series but sadly, the novels are far too short! (This one sat at a fast-paced 310 pages.) I'm so excited I've got book #3 on deck (Chosen), which I'm considering tackling next after writing this review!

Zoey settles into her new role as Dark Daughters leader

Betrayed picks up only weeks later from the ending of Marked. Vampyre fledgling Zoey Redbird has settled into a good rhythm with school and is happy with her new group of friends. She's still seeing gorgeous vampyre upper-classman Erik, and has even found herself flirting with Loren, the much older and incredibly handsome poetry teacher at House of Night. Zoey even manages to forge a somewhat-friendship with arch enemy Aphrodite -- a beautiful but venomous blond and former leader of the Dark Daughters.

Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

pccast.net

Released: May 2007

Marked is the first novel in the House of Night series written by P.C. Cast and her daughter, Kristin Cast. As a years-long, die-hard fan of L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries, I typically tend to shy away from most other teen vampire series (because I'm just never satisfied!). But after having purchased the first several books in the House of Night series for a bargain, I decided to give it a whirl.

Vampyres live among us!

In an alternate reality created by the Cast duo, "vampyres" have always existed. Select teenagers become fledgling vampyres after being "Marked" with colorful tattoos on their faces by some mysterious higher being. After they become Marked, teens are removed from public school and sent to a boarding school known as the House of Night, where they're trained to embrace and understand the ways of vampyres.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

http://melissa-delacruz.com

Released: May 2006

"If you loved The Vampire Diaries, you should read Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods." At least that's what this Buzzfeed article says, so I plucked Blue Bloods off my shelf earlier this week to see what all the fuss was about (for the record, I thought it read more like the vampire version of Gossip Girl).

The waifish blond with animé eyes who doesn't know she's beautiful

The star of Blue Bloods is Schuyler Van Alen, a 15-year-old girl who ranks dark, baggy clothing over pearls and short skirts and doesn't fit in at her prestigious Manhattan private school. Imagine that!

Someone at the Door by Richie Tankersley Cusick

fantasticfiction.co.uk

Released: October 1994

Richie Tankersley Cusick, RL Stine, and Christopher Pike are the authors I lived for between the ages of nine and 12. During those years, I devoured everything in print by these authors. Their style was spooky and edgy, and the mysteries were great! I think toward the end of my twelfth year when I was about to turn 13, I graduated to Dean Koontz, John Saul, and Stephen King, and never looked back...until recently.

I don't quite remember how Someone at the Door came to reside on my bookshelf. I never read this one since it was published after I stopped reading these "teen thrillers," so I figured I would read it for nostalgic purposes. I've been holding on to it for several years only because the cover features a snowman -- I wanted to save it for winter reading.

Midnight Whispers by V.C. Andrews

www.amazon.com

Released: November 1992

I decided to relive my preteen days with V.C. Andrews after watching Lifetime's version of "Flowers in the Attic" back in January. Normally I wouldn't take the time to review V.C. Andrews (because hasn't everyone already read these?), but Midnight Whispers was the ONLY book I owned that qualified for the July monthly keyword challenge at Bookmark To Blog. "Whisper" is one of July's keywords.

Midnight Whispers is the fourth book in the Cutler series. In this one, Dawn's daughter Christie falls prey to the same twisted incestual family curse as did her mother. After a fire destroys the Cutler Cove hotel and kills her beloved parents, Christie and her brother Jefferson are forced to live with Uncle Philip, his wife Aunt Bet, and their evil twin children, Richard and Melanie.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

sarahdessen.com

Released: May 1998

I usually avoid YA books like the plague because 99% of the time, I find that the teenaged characters are almost ALWAYS annoying and bratty, yet paradoxically mature beyond their years. Yeah, right.

Plus, I can't handle all the flighty and stupid-sounding teen lingo (O-M-G! Totes!). It's just not cool, cute, or entertaining (although I'm sure teen readers love it because hey - that's the target market, right?). My parents seriously would have killed me if I so much as uttered the word "ain't," much less all the other crazy vocabulary used by teens nowadays, which most of the time I need to google to even remotely understand what it means.

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson

www.ranelsonbooks.com

Released: August 2005

Teach Me is R.A. Nelson's first novel, which has won a number of children and teen's book awards, including Best Teen Novel. Teach Me initially caught my eye because I've always been drawn to the taboo story about a love affair between teacher and student.

Sadly, I can't say that my high school ever had sexy or desirable teachers, so books of this nature always manage to fill that empty spot in my heart reserved for books featuring impossible high school cliches: such as handsome and sexy bad-boy jocks that fall for smart band nerds (never happens), aspiring journalists who publish the one article in the school newspaper that changes the way every other student thinks (definitely never happens), and your best friend of the opposite sex who has been madly in love with you for years, and you've never managed to see it...

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

www.candacebushnell.com

Released: April 2010

The Carrie Diaries is the prelude to Bushnell's infamous Sex and the City, which, as you know (unless you spent the last 15 years in a bomb shelter), was made into a successful and widely-popular HBO television series years ago.



I've been a major fan of Bushnell since I read Sex and the City months before it premiered on HBO, and have read all of her novels with the exception of Summer and the City, which is the sequel to The Carrie Diaries. I decided to read this novel prior to the release of the new Carrie Diaries television series on the CW, which aired just a little under a week ago.

Katya's World by Jonathan L. Howard

fantasticfiction.co.uk

Release Date: November 2012

Katya's World is the first novel in Jonathan L. Howard's new science-fiction series Russalka Chronicles, featuring heroine and protagonist Katya Kuriakova. Howard has also written the Johannes Cabal series, which begins with The Necromancer.

Before I go too far into writing the review for this book, I would like to mention that I did NOT finish this book. Not because it was bad, or terrible! But because as hard as I try, it's almost impossible for me to get into and enjoy science-fiction novels. I'm constantly on the search for that one science-fiction novel that will just hook me on the genre indefinitely, but it seems like an infinite, never-ending search.

Semper by Peter Dudley

www.peterdudley.com

Released: January 2012

Semper is the first published novel by Peter Dudley.

Hundreds of years in the future, when Earth is left near-barbaric due to a technology implosion, a young man named Dane is dreading the duties and responsibilities his sixteenth birthday promises. On Dane's birthday, he will become "Semper" - the new leader of the Southshaw people - and will be forced to choose a wife. While hunting near his community, Dane encounters an alluring mutant-girl, whom he witnesses being captured by ghost people - a people rumored to slaughter children and eat them alive.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

FantasticFiction.co.uk

Release Date: June 2012

This is Not a Test is the 4th novel by young-adult novelist Courtney Summers.

Dreamworld's Synopsis

In the near future, teenager Sloane Price is ready for her life to end. Her mother has died, her older sister Lily has abandoned her, and her father is an abusive, violent monster. Sloane is nearly relieved when a zombie apocalypse threatens to wipe out the rest of the living humans in her town, yet is compelled to flee for safety. Sloane then spends the next several weeks locked inside of her high school with 5 other students hiding from zombies. It is there inside the high school that Sloane realizes that she still has reasons to fight for survival.

Winter's Kiss by Jennifer Echols & Catherine Hapka

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Released: January 2012

Winter's Kiss is an omnibus with 2 young adult novels: The Ex Games (2009) by Jennifer Echols and The Twelve Dates of Christmas (2008) by Catherine Hapka.

The Ex Games regales us with a love story between high-schoolers Hayden and Nick. In the 7th grade, Nick's friends dared him to take Hayden on a date. Now, 4 years later, the duo considers themselves friends, but have amazing chemistry. When Hayden and Nick engage in a major snowboarding competition against one another, their friendly relationship suddenly becomes more heated than ever before, causing them to re-evaluate their feelings for one another.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

Released: January 2012

The Lions of Little Rock is the second novel by Kristin Levine, the author of The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had (2009).

When Marlee begins her first year of junior high in 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, in the midst of a time when segregation is causing numerous problems, she is desperate for a nice friend she can talk to other than her older teenaged sister, Judy. Finding a friend will be quite the challenge for Marlee, especially since her shyness prevents her from talking to most people.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Released: August 2010

Mockingjay is the 3rd and final book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. This series has easily been the most enjoyable I've read in all of 2011, and definitely one of the best Young Adult series I've ever read. Ever!

Having survived 2 rounds of Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen has seriously angered President Snow and the rest of the Capitol in becoming the "Mockingjay," or the face of the rebellion against the Capitol. As Katniss escapes to District 13, which is literally the underground district that has been kept secret from all other districts, she is again faced with the challenge of learning who she can and cannot trust within the rogue district. After all, District 13 is comprised of individuals who once served the Capitol, among other stragglers from some of the other districts. On top of all this, Katniss is faced with a brainwashed Peeta, whom President Snow has sent to District 13 on a mission to kill Katniss.

A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Released: September 2003

A Stir of Bones is a prequel to Nina Kiriki Hoffman's novels entitled, A Red Heart of Memories (1999) and Past the Size of Dreaming (2001).

Set in the early 1980s, A Stir of Bones is about Susan, a young girl in middle school whose life is dictated by her strict and violent father, who abuses Susan's mother when Susan does anything that upsets her father. To stay out of her house as much as possible, Susan takes on school projects and visits the library often; when one day she overhears a group of kids her own age talking about a haunted house. Intrigued, Susan introduces herself to the group and joins them on their secret excursions to the haunted house. When Susan enters "House" (which is the name Susan assigns to the doting house that seems connected to her), she meets Nathan, a ghost of a young man that inhabits House whom she forms an adoring relationship with. In short, A Stir of Bones tells the story of a young girl willing to hide from her own, frightening family, to instead make her home with the ghostly apparition of Nathan and their House.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Released: September 2009

Catching Fire is the 2nd book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games series is a widely-known phenomenon that has recently been contracted for development into a movie franchise.

By strategic and (unpredictably) emotional means, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have won the Hunger Games for their District; however, both of the famed tributes are under the careful, watchful eye of the Capitol's president, Mr. Snow. After all, Katniss and Peeta have mocked the Capitol and President Snow by "cheating" the Hunger Games and BOTH coming home alive -- accomplished by giving their viewers in the Capitol and in every District the impression they are madly in love with each other.

Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Released: 1989

Christopher Pike is the author of nearly 100 books, most of which are written for teens and young adults. His first novel, Slumber Party, was published in 1985, and Pike has been cranking out numerous fun and terrifying novels ever since.

Remember Me is the story of Shari Cooper, a young woman who wakes up dead the morning after a party. Shari, along with her friends and family, think she may have committed suicide by jumping out of a building. Shari strolls around town like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense (and a Haley Joel Osment because yes, she can see other dead people!) and watches her family mourn her death in an all-too disturbing and realistic manner, which, if you're a child or a teenager reading this book, will influence and affect you for years to come.