WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman Book Review
Series: If I Stay, #2
Publication Date: November 4th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: It’s been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Book Review Overview:

• It was amazing to read about what Mia and Adam were able to accomplish in the last three years!
• Get the tissues ready – this one is a tear-jerker!

So I basically thought it was too good to be true when just about all of my bookish friends told me that WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman is better than the first book, If I Stay. It was impossible, I thought to myself.

Then I was proved that the impossible is possible.

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman is all kinds of awesome. I read it in two sittings – I only stopped to cook and eat dinner, which was something I almost forgot to do because this book is so hard to put down.

Fast forward three years later after the accident. Adam is a famous rock star, and it’s been three years since he last saw Mia when she left for Julliard in New York. Despite the fame and money and a celebrity girlfriend, Adam still cannot let go of Mia. Their paths collide in New York when Adam stumbles upon her first concert at Carnegie Hall.

First of all, I loved reading about Mia and Adam three years later. Despite the fact that Adam is pretty much miserable and still heart-broken, I was so proud of what Mia and Adam had accomplished in the last three years. I almost wanted to do a happy dance because they were both able to live their dreams.

I really enjoyed the change of perspective in WHERE SHE WENT, which is told entirely from Adam’s perspective. I feel like male protagonists are so rare in young adult – so it was a refreshing change of pace.

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman also involved tears and sniffles. I cried a few times while reading when all the emotions and feelings just got too overwhelming. My heart went out to Adam and Mia. They’ve gone through so much. A sign of a talented author, for me, is the ability to make me cry through words on a page.

Gayle Forman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I’m basically going to get my hands on every book she publishes. I’m a fan. WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman will not disappoint fans of If I Stay.

About the Author Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Elle in the US. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Find the Author Website | Twitter | GoodReads

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Gayle Forman, Book: Where She Went, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Must Buy, Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, Romantic Read, Series: If I Stay, Tear-Jerker | 946 words

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer Book Review
Series: Lunar Chronicles, #2
Publication Date: February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Book Review Overview:

• Fun new characters that are loosely based on the Little Red Riding Hood
• As always, the romance is great in Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Fantastic world-building and a twist that you will not see coming!

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer is everything that fans of Cinder have been waiting for. SCARLET by Marissa Meyer picks up where Cinder left off: Cinder is a criminal on the loose. Determined to get away from Queen Levana, Cinder enlists the help of another prisoner and escapes. Torn between doing what is expected of her and learning more about her past, Cinder decides not to meet up with Dr. Erland. Instead, she travels to France in hopes to find out more about her Lunar past.

Meyer introduces new characters to the Lunar Chronicles, mainly Scarlet and Wolf. I love how Meyer based these characters loosely on the Little Red Riding Hood. Those familiar with the fairytale will notice the subtle references sprinkled throughout Scarlet’s narrative. I had an instant liking to both characters. Scarlet is feisty and there is no denying that she has chemistry with the elusive and possibly dangerous Wolf. Of course, there ends up being some romance between them and I was more than happy about it. Wolf captured my heart. I had no doubt that there was more than meets the eye when it came to Wolf.

At first, I was a little confused as to why Meyer suddenly takes us to a rural village in France in SCARLET by Marissa Meyer. But I had nothing to worry about; Meyer seamlessly connects the alternating story lines and it builds up to an action-packed adventure with a surprising twist. The world-building also continues to be a highlight in SCARLET by Marissa Meyer. I love continuing to learn about the Lunars and how Cinder is slowly learning how to use her powers.

Prince Kai isn’t in SCARLET as much as he was in Cinder, which is the most disappointing part of the book. Though still important to the overall story, his role is much smaller in SCARLET by Marissa Meyer. His presence was missed and I can only hope that he and Cinder will be reunited in the next book.

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer is a sequel to watch out for.

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Marissa Meyer, Book: Scarlet, Genre: Action, Genre: Retelling, Genre: Science Fiction, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Page-Turner, Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, Romantic Read, Series: Lunar Chronicles | 1034 words

BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore Book Review
Series: Graceling Realm, #3
Publication Date: May 1st 2012 by Dial
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle–disguised and alone–to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore Book Review Overview:

• Kristin Cashore will not disappoint fans of the Graceling Realm
• This can be read as a standalone but it’s really a lot better if you read the other two books first
• The romance is not as epic as the Fire or Graceling but it’s still pretty sweet

BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore is technically the third book in the Graceling Realm series, but the publisher insists that you can read this as a standalone. True, you probably can; it’s been a while since I’ve actually read Graceling and Fire so my memory is fuzzy on what had happened in those books. So prior knowledge really is not required to read Bitterblue. But at the same time, you probably won’t appreciate it as much. The beauty in BITTERBLUE is partially based on all three stories finally coming together cohesively. You’ll read about all your favorite characters from previous books and see them in a new light from Bitterblue’s perspective.

Like any subsequent book by any author, I was a bit worried when I started to read BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore. A big fan of the first two, I was worried that this one would not live up to the epic fantasy world. I had nothing to be worried about; Cashore continues to weave beautifully written stories set in a magical realm. She knows how to write fantasy.

There’s just a touch of romance in BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore, and I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as epic as the romances in Graceling and Fire. Okay, let’s face it: Bitterblue has a lot of problems that she has to deal with first, so romance can’t be her top priority. Still, I enjoyed the chemistry even if I wanted a little more.

BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore will delight fans of the Graceling Realm series. And readers who discover BITTERBLUE first will definitely be convinced to pick up the other two books.

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Kristin Cashore, Book: Bitterblue, Genre: Fantasy, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Publisher: Dial, Series: Graceling Realm | 901 words