Untouchable

Untouchable: A Private Novel
by Kate Brian

from Amazon:

Reed's boyfriend, Thomas Pearson--the popular, easygoing, irresistibly handsome and charismatic boy she fell in love with--is dead. No one knows how it happened, and everyone is after the truth. Or are they?

Life at Easton Academy begins to feel very different. Taylor is acting like the poster child for Prozac, Kiran is spiking her cornflakes, Noelle is being kind of...nice, and Arianna keeps floating along as if nothing has happened.

Thanksgiving break arrives and Reed and Josh find themselves alone on campus. They are forced to confront the feelings they've been hiding. Those feelings combined with an empty campus result in the hottest hookup Reed could possibly imagine. But when Reed breaks the news about Josh to the Billings Girls, there's no fun game of tell-all. Instead, Josh begins to look like suspect No. 1 in the murder of Thomas Pearson.

The perfect life Reed has constructed as a Billings Girl begins to crumble. And as everyone becomes more convinced of Josh's guilt, Reed's private suspicions lead her somewhere she doesn't want to go.

Grade: A

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
Like I previously mentioned, I am HOOKED! These books are getting better and better. I simply love Reed. And I LOVED Reed and Josh together. I could feel the chemistry between them more so than between Reed and Thomas. (Team Josh! =P ) I'm really curious to find out what happens in the next book. Taylor is gone, and she tells Reed to not believe what Noelle, Ariana, and Kiran are telling her. And Josh has been arrested! :O Exciting stuff! On to the next!

Thanks!

I would like to thank Ruz for awarding me with "The Versatile Blogger"!

The Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Seven Tidbits About Moi:
1. I love my niece and nephew dearly. They just happen to be dogs. Their names are Kona (miniature pinscher) and Toby (chiweenie), and they are the most adorable puppies in the world!

2. I love kids. Being a camp counselor to 9 to 12-year-olds made me realize for sure that I wanted to be a teacher.

3. I have played the flute for about 10 years. (I need to get back into it!)

4. My favorite band is Relient K. They are a Christian band, and it is silly, because I am not religious in the least.

5. I love buying things, but I hate spending money.

6. Green Machine is the name of my car.

7. My favorite number is three. I'm not even really positive why, but I have always loved the number more than all the others. :)

Some Bloggers I Award:
I haven't met any bloggers recently, so I'll go with 5 bloggers!

1. Breanna
2. Krysten
3. S.F. Robertson
4. Cara
5. Faye

Thanks again! It means a lot to me!

Invitation Only

Invitation Only: A Private Novel
by Kate Brian

taken from Amazon:
Reed Brennan's future is looking as bright as the two-karat diamonds in her new housemates' ears. Being accepted to the most prestigious private boarding school in the country wasn't enough for Reed. She had to break every rule to do it, but she has accomplished the impossible:

Reed is a Billings Girl now.

And with her new status come respect, envy, and, most important, opportunity. Not to mention the parties. Unfortunately, at the next illicit party in the Easton campus woods, her roommate snaps some pictures of Reed in more than one compromising position. She uses the photos to blackmail Reed: Dig up dirt on the most powerful and popular Billings Girls or she will have Reed expelled.

And speaking of parties, the Legacy is coming up. It's the invitation-only Halloween party in NYC and it's rumored that Thomas -- Reed's MIA boyfriend -- will be making an appearance there. Too bad Reed isn't even close to invited.

Life as a Billings Girl is every bit as glamorous as Reed imagined. What she didn't bargain for is the tangled web of private lies these girls weave.

Grade: A

I am HOOKED on this series. I read this one really fast. I couldn't put it down! There is SO much drama, which always makes life more interesting (as long as it isn't your own!). I don't really know how to review this one. So, I think I'm just going to stick with that.

Private

Private: A Novel
by Kate Brian

Reed Brennan just transferred to the prestigious Easton Academy. She's the "new girl", but that means she can be whomever she wants to be. No one needs to know about where she is from and no one needs to know that her mother is a druggie. But even after arriving, Reed still feels like an outsider.

And then she meets the Billings Girls. They are the most powerful, most popular, most beautiful, and most confident girls on campus. Reed wants to be like them. She will do anything to be a Billings Girl.

Grade: A

(I reviewed this quite some time ago, when I had first started blogging. But, I figured, since I think my reviewing has definitely gotten better of the months, then I would review it again since I read it again.)

I love stories about boarding schools, mainly because I always wanted to go to one. It would be so amazing be get away from normal life, to a place where no one knows you, and you can be whoever you want to be. This is exactly what Reed wanted. Reed was so insecure with herself, and I couldn't believe that she was so desperate to change. When she calls her father, it is mentioned that she has a lot of anger because of her mother. That is a huge impact that I never caught the first time I read this. I'm excited to start reading the rest of the series. Bring it on!

Ghost Huntress: The Guidance

Ghost Huntress: The Guidance
by Marley Gibson

It's been a few months since Kendall and her family moved to Radisson, Georgia. Things are going great: she's made some great friends, has a boyfriend, a ghost-hunting team, and she's psychic! The only person that isn't so happy about her being the talk of the town is Courtney Langdon, who just happens to be Jason's ex.

Courtney starts meddling with the paranormal, which gets her into some trouble. She wants to get the attention away from Kendall, but she has no idea what she is getting herself into.

Grade: A

Just like in The Awakening, Kendall is a snarky chica who is completely amusing. Some parts of the book kind of even freaked me out, because of the creepy soldier ghost who enjoyed toying with Courtney. I'm disappointed with the relationship of Kendall and Jason, but only because I want there to be more of it. I love them together, and like Jason told her in the book, ghost hunting has taken over her life, and she doesn't have that much time to spend with just him. Sad! But, I don't want to ruin what happens if you decide to read the series, so I will just leave it at that!

I'm pretty sure I liked the first book better, but I still enjoyed reading about Kendall and her friends! I definitely recommend this series if you're into the paranormal.

The Hourglass Door

The Hourglass Door
by Lisa Mangum

Abby Edmunds is starting her senior year. She's busy sending out college applications, spending time with her boyfriend, Jason, and managing the play at school, Much Ado About Nothing. Life is going smoothly. Nothing has changed. Same Abby, same lackluster life.

Enter Dante Alexander, the gorgeous Italian foreign-exchange student. Upon his arrival, Abby's world is turned upside down. The mystery, the spontaneity, the surprises, all of which Abby desires, are now in within reach.

But with Dante, there are secrets. He is always disappearing, or gone for days at a time, and he avoids all physical contact with people. But the time they spend together seems different from their time apart--it seems slow, or too fast, or even as though time has stopped altogether.

Grade: A+

I'm not even sure where I should begin. To put it simply, I adored this book. I loved Abby's character. Even though at the beginning she was somewhat annoying (because she did what she was told, and she made sure others were happy over herself), by the end, I felt a shift in her. She was a strong character, and you could tell by the last couple chapters how strong she really was.

A great book makes me feel emotional. An amazing book makes me cry, which is exactly what The Hourglass Door did to me. By the middle of the novel, I never wanted to put it down. I was so involved; I almost felt like I was Abby, which is really cool! I could go on and on about how much I loved reading this. I have the next book in the series, and I can't wait to get started on it! I definitely recommend this one.

Mistwood

Mistwood
by Leah Cypess

Isabel is the Shifter. She is bound to protect the kings of Samorna at all costs. When she is not needed, she resides in her forest, Mistwood. When she is needed, she goes to the castle.

When Prince Rokan comes for her in Mistwood, she does not remember why she had left Samorna many years ago. She doesn't remember how to change forms. Isabel knows her prince needs her to be the Shifter. But she also knows that he is lying to her. The truth can change everything though and Isabel must make a choice.

Grade: A

Mistwood is a beautifully written debut novel. Isabel is a confused character who in the end figures everything out. I'm not that big on reading fantasy, but I loved this storyline. I thought the idea of a Shifter was really cool, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing on what was going to happen in the end. I didn't see the *almost* end coming, which always makes a good book even better.

My only problem with the novel was the actual ending. I didn't care for it because it was very abrupt, and it left a cliffhanger. I really wanted to know what was going to happen, but the story just ends. But other than that, as I said, this was a wonderful book, and I look forward to read more by Leah!

*reviewed for TeensReadToo
**Mistwood is on shelves now