Title: The Lighter Side of Life and Death
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Random House Books
Release date: May 25, 2010
ISBN-10: 0375845895
ISBN-13: 9780375845895
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true and the future looks golden.

Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive 23-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world. Fans of John Green and Sarah Dessen will savor C. K. Kelly Martin's sexy, smart, soulful story of one confused boy, two girls, and all the complications that ensue in this feel good celebration of friendship, first love, first lust, and second chances.



My Review:
Mason Rice is living the life. With good friends and a successful run in the school play, nothing could touch him. After one amazing day, he heads over to a party to celebrate his recent accomplishments and finds himself alone with his best friend, Kat. They end up sleeping together, and this changes everything. Kat wants to pretend nothing happened so she starts avoiding him, and their other best friend, Jamie, is mad at Mason because he's also in love with Kat and was kept in the dark about what happened between the two. At home, Mason is dealing with some big changes in his family. He butts heads with his step-sister-to-be and they can never seem to find common ground. Mason then meets Colette, his future stepmom's 23-year-old friend, who he starts a secret forbidden liaison with. As their relationship prolongs, Mason starts slipping away from his old life.

Here's a little personal history for you: I first read this book the year it came out. I just turned 21, but was at that stage where I still felt 20; right smack in the middle of Mason and Colette's 7-year age gap. Fast forward to today, 23 on the verge of turning 24-- same age as Colette. When I was reading this book in 2010, I was just "meh" about their relationship. I got that it was taboo but for some reason I wasn't as affected as I am now. What a difference 2 years makes. My feelings about their relationship changed immensely! Can I imagine myself messing around with a 16-year-old? The thought makes my stomach feel weird. And not in the good way. God, no.

The plot was great and the execution was better than I can imagine. Martin had this style that never went overboard, no matter how big the issue. It was nice and made for an enjoyable light read. The book was full of adolescent problems but instead of taking them and making a big unnecessary show out of it, she wrote it so that the characters actually could deal and the reader could actually see these kinds of reactions to things in real life.

What set this story apart for me was the narration from Mason's perspective. I've never really come across a lot of contemporary romance novels from a guy's point of view. It worked really well for this story, and his voice was so refreshing. He went through a lot of emotions, like every teenager goes through, and it was interesting taking a look into the inner workings of a teenage boy's mind. Mason was easy-going and handled everything great on the outside, but he was slowly losing it inside as the story progressed. He had this illicit affair with an older woman and eventually admitted to it, but the consequences weren't too drastic. Actually, the whole book wasn't as dramatic as it could have been. I personally love Martin for that; the story could have gotten really over-dramatic and cliché, but it was all done with subtle grace. Of course Mason wasn't without his flaws, as all the characters in this book were, but he was definitely a great narrator for the story.

The other characters were all very diverse, which I commend Martin for. Various age groups, ethnicities, and sexual orientations were represented without going overboard. It gave it a more realistic feel that I definitely appreciated. The story went in the direction it did because of Kat, Mason's crush who just so happens to also be one of his best friends. It was interesting that she was Filipino when there are virtually none of us in contemporary literature, so that was kind of cool. And hey, look at that, the story took place in Canada. But that aside, Kat reacted to what happened between her and Mason in such an odd way. It was exasperating. I wanted to like her more and wanted to know more about her. But of course, she was avoiding Mason for more than half the book so that didn't happen. I had mixed feelings about her, but I'm happy with how the story ended. Jamie, though. The other best friend. I could have done without his whining and total abandonment of Mason. I can't even talk about him properly without getting worked up. Colette... I don't know if the readers are supposed to like her. It's just bad right off the bat; she had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy. Freakin' illegal. If it's not illegal, then it's definitely lacking in common sense. She clearly had some issues that she needed to work out; re-evaluate her life a little bit, maybe, because... woah. Ick. All in all, I think every character served their purpose, and it was done well. The fact that both of the leading females in the story were so different in every single way was a nice touch. They could have been severely butchered, one being an immigrant teenager and the other a 20-something woman having an affair with a minor, but Martin managed to stay away from stereotypes.

Funny thing, while I was reading this book the first time in 2010, I always pictured Logan Lerman as Mason. I don't know why. Seems like a character he would play if a movie adaptation was ever made. I've seen several other places online suggesting Aaron Johnson, which would have been good, too, at the time (not now, though). I've always thought he and Logan looked pretty similar. Anyway. When I start getting into potential movie casting is when you know I like a book a lot. It was one of my favourites in 2010, and re-reading it now brought back the feelings. They've shifted a bit, because like I mentioned earlier, 2 years can change a person, even by the slightest. A lot of things that I liked during my initial reading, I changed my opinion on. To add onto that, I noticed more things the second time around that I wasn't really paying attention to before. Regardless, this book remains one of my favourites, and I would recommend it to those looking for a light and not so over-exaggerated read, considering the subject.

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Title: City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, Book 2
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release date: March 25, 2008
ISBN-10: 1416914293
ISBN-13: 9781416914297
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.



My Review:
First thing's first, I would definitely recommend reading City of Bones before City of Ashes, as the story takes place right after the events of the first book. It might will be confusing if you don't know the entire back story.

In the second installment of the Mortal Instruments, Clary Fray has finally found her mother after the life-changing events in the equally breathtaking predecessor. However, Jocelyn Fray is in a magically induced coma, put on her to avoid revealing deep secrets to her once upon a time husband, Valentine. Valentine, on the other hand, wants to destroy all Downworlders: werewolves, vampires, and faeries. Clary and her friends team up once again with extra help from others to battle against her and Jace's terror of a father, who is after the Mortal Sword this time around to continue his plan to bring down the Clave. With the return of Valentine and the discovery of Jace's identity, the young Shadowhunter is under much scrutiny from the Clave and everyone around him. To make things worse, he and Clary are dealing with the aftermath of the news that they are siblings and being forced to deny their feelings for each other. This leads to a lot of confusion with Simon, Clary's best friend who has been harbouring a secret crush on her. Simon has his own problems -- much bigger problems -- to deal with as a result. Absolutely nothing is easy, everyone is still reeling from previous revelations, and unfortunately for our heroes, this is only the beginning.

This time around, there was more on the Downworlders, which is something that I've been looking forward to since Magnus' party in City of Bones. Clare intertwines between the mystical world of the Shadowhunters and the gritty streets of New York. Everyone is on high alert now that Valentine is on the loose; the Lightwoods are back at the New York Institute to clean up the mess Hodge had left, and Jace's newly-revealed identity also affects his relationship with the family that he's come to know and love as his own. There's more focus on things like Simon's feelings for Clary and vice versa in this book. But I really couldn't stomach Clary and Simon as a couple. Not ashamed to say that I'm too much of a Clace (yes, the portmanteau -- I had to) supporter for that. Plus, I adore Simon and Clary's friendship, nothing more. Their dynamic as best friends was one of my favourite things in book one, unrequited love aside. I'm not a fan of love triangles, but the Jace-Clary-Simon fiasco is far from your average. It's pretty messed up and disturbing if you've read the end of City of Bones and the summary above (I know, ick, her bother?!), but I'm all for disturbing. I don't know what that says about me, but I feed on twisted storylines... it makes things more interesting. While I did feel for Clary and Jace's major dilemma, there was a lot of focus on the fact and at times it became a little too much; luckily Clare made up for those little bouts with amazing action sequences and shifting to the backgrounds of the other characters.

I don't think there's a character I don't like or at least find uninteresting in this series. Valentine, for instance. I loathe him and his Hitler-like mentality, but his back story and the way Clare recalls it is so captivating and interesting. Old characters are further explored and there are new ones added into the mix. This book definitely cemented my love for some in particular. Such as...? Isabelle, Isabelle, Isabelle. My lovely Isabelle. I loved her even more in this book. Her one-liners were to die for ("Nothing less than seven inches", "I'm pure at heart. It repels the dirt"). She's such a fierce character and so sure of herself. Another character that was introduced was Maia. Yay for female werewolves! I think the last time I read a book with a female were was in Blood and Chocolate... and I was about 14-15. She's basically a female version of Simon. Speaking of... Simon, my love! This was a great book for him. I loved mundie Simon, but I love vampy Simon even more. Just his whole adjustment to it was such a great thing to read about, because you could tell it was very hard on him, very far from glamourized. It's not easy adjusting knowing that there's a possibility you could kill and that you'll probably outlive everyone you love. Then add Clary's overwhelming feeling of guilt and belief that all of it was her fault? It's heartbreaking. Then there's Jace. Just stick a knife in me and twist it, why don't you? Poor kid, getting kicked out of the Institute because of who he is. I love the Lightwoods (by far my favourite TMI family), and I'm so happy that the rest of them were finally introduced in this book, but Maryse lost some points with me for that one. She kind of redeemed herself after, though. I'm glad that the mystery of where Jace comes from was being further focused on. Dude's lived a very complex life. Of course, there's the precious Alec and Magnus, who both started to grow on me. I could tell that they would be something special as the series goes on. There was also the development of Luke and his connection to both worlds and their inhabitants. He spent most of the book at the hospital, watching over Jocelyn and hoping she would wake. It's amazing how the story was fueled by a woman who fell into a coma quickly in the series. Her back story and how she brought up Clary led to all of these events happening in her daughter's life now, and Jocelyn's not even awake to tell the tale. It just makes it more exciting to look forward to hearing Jocelyn's side of it once (if?) she finally wakes up.

As you can probably tell from that huge last paragraph, I enjoyed the character development immensely. The last 100+ pages were also very action-packed and was the perfect way to end the book. I was eager to jump into the third book right away. This second installment definitely entertained me more than the first. City of Bones was a great set-up for the things to come, but City of Ashes had such great character development and so many unexpected twists and turns that kept me thoroughly engrossed.

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Title: Sweet Shadows
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Medusa Girls (Book #2)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: September 4, 2012
ISBN-10: 0062001833
ISBN-13: 9780062001832
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters — after all, she's spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss — but that doesn't mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe? Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won't leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home—like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He's hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives keeping secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.



My Review:
The second installment of the Medusa Girls picks up right (and I mean right-at-that-very-moment) where the first book left off. Medusa's descendants, Gretchen, Greer, and Grace are back, they're together, and now they find themselves fighting for their lives as monsters from the abyss plan on killing them in exchange for freedom. Olympian gods are involved and has the potential to get deliciously messy, the girls have new (or old?) allies, and all the while they're dealing with their new-found lives clashing with their old ones.There's so much that I loved about this book. Sweet Shadows had more action and an up-close look into the abyss as opposed to just being set in San Francisco. Childs gave the reader a look from both sides this time, and we were introduced to more of the monsters. And not all of them are bad! Cheers! This other world is such a contrast to the city. It's dark and ridden with monsters who have absolutely no desire to be there, which is why they want to escape any chance they get.

In addition to the change of setting, the characters were further developed really well. Greer wasn't my favourite in the first book, but I have to say that without a question she was my favourite in this one. Especially when talking to her adoptive parents... my heart broke for her. Another revelation lies in the character of Nick. Throughout the first book, there was this obvious underlying that there was something going on with him. I love that his role was expanded beyond being a pretty boy always hanging around Gretchen. The relationships were also more cemented, and will continue through the next book if this one is any indication. Childs did it again; I already can't wait for the next book.

Alright, I'm going to go into fangirl-mode for a sec, but am I wrong to think that something might happen between Thane and Greer? And that I got positively giddy just thinking about it? Potential to be awkward, though, because Greer looks exactly like Grace, who is very much still Thane's little sister. ...Or has Thane ever really considered Grace his sister? It's obvious that Grace thinks of him as her big brother, but it's never talked about how Thane feels. I think I've typed Thane out more than 4 times in this little blurb. Such a cool name. Plus he's still very much a mystery as he was before, even more-so now at the end of this book (Greer even called him an enigma. Did I call it, or did I call it?). Back to him and Greer, they seem to share some kind of link, and I'm really curious to see why. He still wins out as my favourite guy in the books. I'm really interested to know what his deal is; he's so vague. Just when I thought all the mysteries from the first book have been solved.

Just like the first book, this was written in the three different perspectives of the sisters. My only issue with the first one was the switching points of views, as there was no real flow or uniformity. This book was set up the same, so it was a little confusing at times. Again, not a huge issue because even though the girls were more in tune with each other and had similar goals and experiences, they were still very much distinct. All the storylines and characters moved forward at a nice pace with every chapter, and it's getting more apparent that this war is going to be something big.

Once again recommended for Greek mythology lovers and lovers of kickass heroines; there are three of them in this one. I got through Sweet Shadows in less than 30 hours--that almost never happens. Definitely no sophomore slump here!

Note: Read for the Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge

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Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release date: March 27, 2007
ISBN-10: 1416914285
ISBN-13: 9781416914280
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.



My Review:
This is my second time reading this book. I'd always been planning on re-reading the series to prepare for the upcoming movie. I didn't want to start them too close to the movie's release date (which is August 23, 2013 -- I've already got my calendar marked heavily in red), because I'd be comparing things like crazy. So when Marie's Paranormal Spooktacular came along, I thought this would be a good time as any to get to it.The story begins with Clary Fray and her best friend Simon Lewis heading to an all-ages club called Pandemonium, a place they seem to frequent in their home of New York. This night is different -- Clary witnesses a murder. Even more bizarre is that the act was done by three strange teenagers covered in odd tattoos who seem to be invisible to everyone but her. She knows what she saw, but she doesn't want to believe it. To make matters worse, her mother goes missing shortly after and her home is attacked by a monster. Now she's pulled into and very much involved in an unusual world that just escalates as the story goes on.

I was instantly drawn in by the characters, especially the Shadowhunters: Jace, Alec, and Isabelle. They have such a strong presence throughout that you can't help but be fascinated with them. Then there was Simon, who had me at "I wanted to tell you that lately I've been cross-dressing. Also, I'm sleeping with your mom." I'd have to say that the beginning scene in Pandemonium is one of my favourites. Right away I was intrigued as to where this whole story would go; there was action right off the bat. Personally, Clary as a character didn't jump off the page to me. Not that I didn't like her, I just found the others more interesting. I did enjoy the chapter with Magnus Bane's party (who is another one I've come to adore). Clare writes character interactions so well that I look forward to any and every scene where all of them are present, even Clary. It's like she's better when she's talking to the others. My only other qualm with the book was that by the middle, the plot was moving quite slowly. But I still couldn't put it down. It's worth it to keep reading though, because of the ending. Oh my goodness, the ending. I became so invested in these characters and their relationships, and then I reached the end of the book and let me tell you, I just had to go out and get the next one right away.

The world that Clare introduces is imaginative, well fleshed out, and written with vivid descriptions. She's created this universe that's so detailed that I noticed more and imagined more the second time around. It's like the further I went into the series, I noticed just how significant a lot of past details were from earlier books; these details had no purpose to me early on... but then I'd read about them later and a light bulb just goes off. The details are so intricate that I didn't even know they've made a space for themselves in the back of my mind. I'm glad I re-read this book, because it was nice to re-visit and recall a lot of these details in the narrative and in the characters themselves.

Before I read this the first time, I had glanced at reviews and saw that a lot of people either loved it or hated it. It seems that there's barely any middle ground from what I've seen. I fall under the category of loving-it-to-the-point-of-obsession. Seriously. I picked up this book about a year and a half ago but only read it in July of this year. After I finished it (I read during meals, before bed, during any spare moment I had), I got the other four right away and read them all in 6 days. I barely slept until I got to the end of the fifth book. When I found out that the next one isn't coming out until 2014, to say I had a bit of a breakdown would be an understatement. But, to conclude, City of Bones opens us up to a unique and mystical world of the paranormal that's nothing short of a great introduction to a series.

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Title: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Author: A.S. King
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release date: October 12, 2010
ISBN-10: 0375865861
ISBN-13: 9780375865862
Format: ePub
Source: Purchased

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?



My Review:
This is the story of Vera Dietz, an 18-year-old high school student who works at a pizza parlour whose best friend died recently. The story starts off at Charlie's funeral, and following this, the book jumps back and forth between flashbacks and the present. Vera is a responsible, smart student who would rather fade into the back of huge crowds; another invisible face. This is thanks to her mother, who had abandoned her a few years back and the fear of growing up and essentially becoming her. Charlie, on the other hand, had a rough family life and began slipping away from her as they grew. He fell into a crowd made up of burnouts and "detentionheads", as they were called, eventually leaving Vera behind. As different as they were, both kids have been through so much crap that the outpouring of sympathy I felt for them went through the roof.I really didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this book. There was so much going on in the first chapter already, I was kind of thrown off. One thing is for sure, though: Vera's voice was really engaging and was the sole thing that kept me reading. King did an amazing job with Vera's personality and putting it into words; she's incredibly genuine and relatable. The way she describes the people and situations around her, and just the way she talks is funny, witty, and so the way a teenager would.

There's also the complication of her relationship with Charlie. They were on the outs when he died, and the cause of his death stays a mystery throughout the first part of the book. Knowing this and reading her memories with Charlie during their better times was absolutely heartbreaking. There were times where I was frustrated with the way Vera acted, and times where I detested Charlie. But then it turns around and I like them both, or one more than the other. I wanted their friendship to be mended, then there were moments where I was hoping Vera would get him back for some of the stuff he did. This book was just a rollercoaster, and I loved it.

Another reason I really liked this was Vera's relationship with her dad. They're both clearly suffering the aftermath of her mom leaving, albeit in different ways. Her father, Ken, is doing his absolute best to keep Vera from making the same mistakes he did when he was younger, and even though Vera is doing the same in terms of her mother, they both clash horribly. Ken's got these flow charts going on in the book that I found hilarious. Plus, a pagoda gets its own POV, which is absolutely ingenious. Another thing that I learned from this book is that we should definitely appreciate our pizza delivery person technician more.

Be warned that this book has a lot of themes better suited for an older YA audience. There's swearing, drug use, abuse, and even a smidge of unbelievably creepy paedophilia. That's probably where it lost that half star for me. Not that I'm uncomfortable reading about all of it -- it was just one after the other. At times I was a little incredulous that one person could go through all of that before they even hit the legal age. But who am I to judge? Overlooking that, though, it's a book about relationships: Love, friendship, family, schoolmates, and work all wrapped up in this little gem of a book.

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