Life As We Knew It

Life As We Knew It
by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda is almost done with her sophomore year of high school. Life seems pretty normal, even when hearing about an asteroid that is going to hit the moon's surface. And then it hits, knocking the moon off its axis and all hell breaks loose on the planet: earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcano eruptions.

Life used to be easy for Miranda and her family. Now they are hardly eating due to food shortages, and they cannot drive because of gas shortage. They are in survival mode, and it is tough on all of them.

Grade: A

This novel was slow at the start, but once it got started, I could hardly put it down. It was fast-paced and interesting, and I was totally fascinated by the idea of the moon being hit, causing worldwide catastrophe! It really makes me wonder if the government would be like this today if it happened!

If you're into the "end of the world" type books, this is for you. It was amazing!

The Fire Opal

The Fire Opal
by Regina McBride

*Paraphrased from Amazon*
Maeve O'Tullagh is a teen is living in Ard Macha with her family: Mam, Da, Donal, Fingal, and Ishleen. When still very young, Ishleen suddenly dies, depressing Maeve's mother and father. Once becoming pregnant again, Mam insists that she is pregnant with Ishleen, and she won't let the idea go. A woman at the sea gives Maeve a talisman to protect her mother. But when Mam removes it on the night of the baby's birth, she seems lost and catatonic. Maeve believes something stole her mother's soul and dedicates herself to protecting her new sister.

When Ishleen is four, she suffers the same fate as her Mam. With her Da and brothers off fighting to free Ireland from English rule, nineteen year old Maeve embarks on a journey to discover who has stolen their souls and save them before it's too late, encountering an ancient evil along the way.

Grade: B-

This story was filled with magical beings and inanimate objects, and a family that thinks the mother and daughter are absolutely mad. At times, I was agreeing with the men of the family. In some parts, some very crazy stuff was happening, and I almost felt like Maeve was on an acid-trip or something. Seriously! It was nuts, but it was interesting!

The climax of the novel began in one of the last few chapters. This caused the novel to drag on for quite a long time, and it seemed to me that there were many insignificant pieces to the storyline. Also, the ending was very abrupt, which bothers me. It was left for me to wonder what happened to Francisco, a Spanish soldier, and also for Maeve's father and brothers. But really, this novel was interesting, and not really the kind of book I normally read, but it kept me interested, even if I got bored in some places. If you're into the fantasy kind of book, you might like it.

*reviewed for TeensReadToo

I have a question...

I have some books, all of which are paperback ARCS, that I have read and need to get rid of because I have no room for them! Since I can't post ARCS on PaperBackSwap, I have a few more options. I can either just give them away, host a contest, or trade them. So, if you're interested in trading, or just really, really want one of these books, let's figure something out. :) So, leave me a comment with your email, or just shoot me an email (which would probably be easier!). Help me empty my bookshelves! =)

Runaway by Meg Cabot
Mistwood by Leah Cypess
The Line by Teri Hall
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
Gemma by Meg Tilly
Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall

Just let me know if you are interested! Thanks!

P.S. A review is coming soon! :)