Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Rating: 3- Good, Average, Alright, you name it
PLOT:

"Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran."

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

The first part, the earlier chapters were mind blowing. Either because the notion of a sudden disaster on the way to school is frightening for me or not knowing what the future brings makes me scared for the characters. The book's plot is like Survivor, only with apocalyptic elements, and of course, a percentage of the human population becoming zombies. I love the disasters and the chemical reactions and the dark dark sky.

I also like the idea: Stranded in a department store. I could think a lot of other ways for these kids to have fun in it, wisely though, they were able to have a close-to-harmonious day-to-day system. On the other hand, I don't like most of the characters. Dean, for example, loves Astrid, for reason not clearly said. Also there's this other girl, Sahalia. I know there are some over sexualized teenagers somewhere and their hopelessness inside the supermarket might make these kids feel alone and all, but I don't like the way Sahalia was portrayed, she only changed in the later part which is annoying, I mean I hope Miss Laybourne should give the girl some strength or good qualities, people are not black or white, bratty at first, changed later, a personality has too many facets but Sahalia wasn't given the chance for others to really get to know who she really is.

With having fourteen stranded children in one setting, the book lacks details. So all in all, it's plain average for me.

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Rating: 3- Good, Average, Alright, you name it
PLOT:

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil has never been easy. Daphne's father has no time for her, her mother no interest, and her status in the upper echelon separates her from the working-class demons that populate Lucifer's metropolis. When her brother and only confidante goes missing, life in the restrictive city of Pandemonium becomes intolerable. Now, in an attempt to find him, Daphne sets out for Earth - and finds it larger and more chaotic than she imagined: a dazzling expanse of noise, dirt and random violence. Despite her bewilderment, she navigates the mortal world with growing fascination, gaining an ally when she saves a dying boy from her father's minions. For Truman Flynn, the last year has been one long downward spiral, but when Daphne arrives just in time to save his life, he finds himself unexpectedly glad to have another chance. Together, Daphne and Truman go in search of her brother, braving the hazards of Las Vegas and the perils of first love, even as it becomes increasingly clear that her brother might have had a secret and compelling reason for leaving. Lucifer's agents aren't the only creatures on the prowl, and Daphne soon finds herself the target of a plan to rid the world of demons for good. Now she must evade a demon-eating monster, rescue her brother from an angelic zealot, and save the boy she loves from his greatest enemy - himself.

I cannot understand WHY would anyone write a synopsis that long.
This novel is interesting due to its plot and characters, Yovanoff did a great job with making twists and turns with heavenly creatures. As you could see, my rating's 3, So it is neither bad nor super amazing, but has a share of both worlds in teeny tiny bits.

The first thing that I liked about it is Daphne and Truman's love story, Daphne isn't one of those cutesy female leads that is annoying yet gets the best slices in the story. She's in fact quite smart and calculates her every move, she's kind and her worries really makes you worry, and convinces readers she isn't from our world without making her look too stupid at the same time she looks reasonably ignorant (because she lived all her life in Hell), she somehow reminds me of Castiel...

yep out of this world

Truman is messed up, I could name a few people I know personally who are very much like him. His relationship with Daphne is nicely done, they didn't have a good start nor did they go on having too much of the love hate relationship thing which most novels love to use in every page. They have disagreements once in a while but their love blossomed later on in a realistic manner.

Like I mentioned, I am into the series Supernatural, so the idea od angels and demons appeal to me, but there sure are some confusing parts here on the 'rules' both sides have when it comes who to kill etc. Some of the conversations of the older characters are just boring to read. the ones that can be skipped and the plot still survived.

So all in all, it's average for me.

The Catastrophic History of You And Me by Jess Rothenberg

Rating: 4- Would recommend it to everyone
PLOT:

Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart--literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy Brie loved and lost--and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul...who just might hold the key to her forever after. 

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Why didnt movies ever thought of this concept before? Literally dying of a broken heart... because of being heartbroken. Oh the pun. But The Catastrophic History of You and Me not only gave justice to that idea but also succeded in breaking my own heart for Brie, and mending it up again.Romance, betrayal, bestfriends and boyfriends, these are the typical ingredients for any teenage novels, yet I was still surprised at the twists Rothenberg gave the story. 

First, we all knew from the first pages that it when Jacob broke up with Brie, he killed her, but then you can't help to actually like him a bit since there were flashbacks of how the popular girl Brie fell in love with him in the most sincere, honest way.

But then again you will come to hate him once more when Brie comes back as a ghost weeks after she died and saw Jacob in a party talking to his friends about being with some other girl.

Oh the heartbreak again. Then she also saw her family falling apart, since her mother and brother are depressed, then she saw her dad's other woman, her best friend was also betraying her. Plus the only living creature who could see her was her dog. She also has an also dead companion called Patrick to whom she is falling for but their relationship degrades later on. 

So near yet so far, So sad yet so sweet. If Brie were alive she would die all over again. How much could a dead teenager would take?

In all of this, there are funny parts and Patrick's constant jokes with Brie helps to lighten up things. With all the lessons you could learn and the easy way a reader could relate to Brie, this novel is truly worth reading (but be ready for a diverse offers of emotions)

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Rating: 4-Would recommend it to everyone

PLOT

Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she's foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try.

Stories about girls seeing the future sounds familiar, somebody might have already used that idea but Ihave never read a novel on that theme, thus it is with great pleasure I was able to read Blackbirds. Miriam was sharp-tongued, restless, and had given up hope on changing people's fate. I mean who could anyway? When chance made her meet the driver Louis, hope began gnawing at her, as well as conscience to try saving him from the violent death she had foreseen.

It's really nice to see their relationship develop later on, even though Miriam wants to keep herself from caring about him. When a companion dragged her into a dangerous mess of illegal drugs and psychotic enemies, her resolve to make a change one and for all is quite honorable for her. Gaaaah I love her! Maybe having her as a sister would be so great. Plus Louis is truly lovable too, like a gentle giant (I honestly think that is the best description of him) 
and if I am ever going to meet him in their world I would go fangirling on him

I love Urban Fantasies, Dark novels and all, and I could say this one is worth the read (n__n)/

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Rating 1- Boring, Badly written, Useless, Abandon it while you still can
PLOT:

It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in New York's East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief.

   When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth.

WHY did I even waste my time on this book. WASTED IT. 
So yeah , Luna's mother's dead and there are seven voice mails she has to listen to and open her mother's secrets. At first I though WOW this is going to be a mystery and it would change her life forever.
Unfortunately the book is just full annoying narration. God!!!! and I though "I am Number Four" was annoying, so let me count the ways:

• Luna keeps talking about how mighty and famous they are, she talks like she's humble but she's not. Her father's a director and her mother's a Fashion model. And it seems all easy that she get to have a vacation in an expensive villa in Italy because like any other 15 year olds, she needs to get away after knowing her mother cheated on her father, and that she's dead.....hurr durr poor baby
• OOOOOOh rubbing elbows with celebrities! What is Lewis thinking? there's Orlando Bloom and Drew Barrymore whom Luna is besties with. Like "oooh really?" I mean does that info even contribute a teeny tiny thing to the plot. NOPE, because apparently talking with celebrities, how useless these scenes may be to the story, is so normal for a 15-year-old so it should be included, you know, 'slice of life' thing.
• Oh yeah and she talks to this oh-my-god-so-cute guy named Oliver, who she only had a few words with in the past. Then they hang out a bit, and poof! they are in love. All in a manner of days
• She starts with photography and you know what happened? She instantly got her photos publicly exhibited (in just a manner of days again) in a gallery because according to her she has the gift of 'composition' that is an important thing for a photographer. It's amazing! she is so damn humble she's almost a saint.

I could go on and on but yeah, this book is one big disappointment. Anyway the reviewers on amazon are hilarious. Especiallt ths one who gave it 5 stars

Oh LOL, good luck

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rating 5- Got to have a copy. Gotta reread forever

PLOT:

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

Jennifer A. Nielsen is SUPERB,this book talks about planning a royal deception by resurrecting a dead prince in the image of one of four orphans. One of these is Sage, a clever, sharp tongued boy who, with the rest must be educated, in academics, sword fighting and behavior that is expected from one brought up in royalty. The winner shall be introduced as the long lost Prince Jarom and claim the Throne. All throughout the novel, I was never bored nor did I stopped reading, finished it in one sitting. That is how brilliant this book is.

(I've already did a positive rant about this novel in my tumblr blog but I will just copypasta it here: )

Nah I wont spill the beans. Believe me, this is one novel you won’t want to hear spoilers from. It did well for me. Opening the pages without any idea what the story is about, all I had was the cover art, and ppof! I was pleasantly drawn in by the plot. The writing style is great, good yet understandable, and Sage’s character is just….so real, you will just have to sympathize with him and reading his conversations with the other characters makes you want to cheer him on. Sage makes sarcasm look cool. Personally, I put this in my Extra Fave God Tier Young Adult book collection. It’s a trilogy, so obviously the expectation’s high for the 2nd one.

Seriously. Highly recommended.