The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys

Maggie Stiefvater

416 pages

"You're looking for a god. Didn't you suspect that there was also a devil?"

Blue has been destined for her true love to die if she kisses him. When Blue's mysterious aunt comes into town, she tells Blue that it is the year she will meet her true love. Coming from a family of Psychichs (though she herself doesn't have any supernatural abilities) Blue has to believe it. 

Gansey is a Raven Boy, just like his three best friends, Noah, Adam, and Ronan. Blue has sworn off all boys, but especially the Aglionby Raven Boys. Against all odds, though, she becomes friends with the four boys, and possibly more than friends with Adam... And maybe Gansey. She joins in their quest to search out the ley lines in hopes of finding the long dead "king" Glendower. They unearth a deadly secret about the Raven Boys' Latin teacher, a shocking discovery about their dear friend Noah, and the real reason why Blue's aunt showed up in town. 

There were a lot of plot lines in this novel. By the end of the novel, nearly none of them were resolved, though I didn't feel like it left the story in an awkward place. There was a clear ending. It did make me want to read the next one, though. Although a big element was the romantic aspect of the story, it was still well balanced with the supernatural and mystery parts. I really can't wait to read the next one: find out which Raven Boy is Blue's true love, find out if they awaken Glendower, find out the mystery of Blue's dad, find out what Ronan is hiding about his father's death.

Pages this Semester: 1105

"Written on these walls are the stories that I can't explain."

-One Direction

Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits

Katie McGarry

456 pages

"The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see- the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived."

Echo Emerson's mom attacked her, leaving terrible scars all down her arms. Echo didn't know how it happened, and nobody would tell her. The one time a psychiatrist had pushed her to remember, she had a mental breakdown, leaving her to fear she'd end up being just like her mom. Noah Hutchins is a foster kid, struggling to deal with the loss of his parents and the inability to see his brothers. They never thought they would cross paths, until their new psychiatrist thrusts them together. Noah teaches Echo that she doesn't have to hide her scars. Echo helps Noah understand that his brothers will always love him. 

I really thought this was a great book. It had many layers: the conflict between Echo and her mother, between Noah and the foster parents of his brothers, and the relationship that forms between Echo and Noah. The end made me want so much more. I really loved how McGarry put a note in the back, listing all the songs she used to help her write this novel. Her inclusion of the song that follows the book really helped me understand where Noah and Echo ended up going after the words of her book ended.

Pages this Semester: 860

"You're an addict. You need stories the way the furrow needs the plow."

-Bill Willingham

Wherever You Go

Wherever You Go

Heather Davis

320 pages

"It was a funny thing, trying to remember your life in the middle of living it. Trying to remember all the good things. Those were the hardest for me to dredge up when life sucked. It was so much easier to think of the things I wished I could forget."

Rob died in a car crash. No one knows how it happened. His girlfriend Holly, who was with him in the car, blamed herself, because he was driving her home. His best friend Jason blamed himself for not stopping Rob from leaving the party. They both are mourning Rob, while Rob watches, unable to go into the infamous "light" yet unable to communicate with anyone he once knew. That is, until he meets Holly's grandfather. While a relationship begins budding between Jason and Holly, Rob is trying to figure out exactly what happened to him on that fateful night, as well as keep his best friend from falling in love with his girl. 

I noticed the cover of this book first. It had really pretty colors and an interesting title, so I was intrigued. I didn't much care for the story line of this novel, though. It seemed kind of overused to me. I also would have preferred a bit of conflict that didn't have to do with the strange love triangle going on. I thought it was kind of ridiculous that everyone was pushing Holly to move on from her relationship with Rob. It was only like six months since he died. I think she deserves as long as a grieving period as she needs.  

Pages this Semester: 404

“There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” 

-J.K. Rowling

I'll Be There

I'll Be There

Holly Goldberg Sloan

384 Pages

"You don't think about the future, because it doesn't matter anymore, and you never, ever think about the past, because it is gone. And thinking about what is gone is pain."

The was a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque novel, with the Sam Borden and Emily Bell filling these roles. Sam Borden is a mysterious boy, moving around from place to place with his brother and his father, never attending school. Emily Bell comes from a well-off, respectable family. When Emily's family first meets Sam they decide that there is something off about the boy. They can't force their daughter to not see him, so they decide to use reverse psychology and welcome him with open arms. Little did they know, they would grow to love Sam and his little brother, Riddle. Sam's dad, though, is a different story. When he finds out about Sam's relationship with Emily, he packs up the boys once again. All hope seems to be lost for the two "star-crossed lovers"...

This book was nominated for the Colorado Blue Spruce award, and it is clear why. The characters are absolutely lovable, and the story moves at a quick pace. The clear plot line is Emily and Sam's relationship, but it also includes non-romantic elements, which makes it more of a substantial read. The point of view seemed to change at random times throughout the novel, however, which felt like I wasn't getting the full feelings of each character at one time.

Pages this Semester: 384

"As Emily headed to the back of the bus, she thought to herself that everyone had a story. Tonight she was just one of those people whose story was more interesting."

-Holly Goldberg Sloan

I read. A lot. So much so that if I only read 2,000 pages this semester I would have to limit myself to a mere 15 pages of reading per day. My personal reading goal for the semester is 8000 pages, which would be 47 minutes, or 59 pages, per day.

My 2014 Book List

A lot of the time I choose my books by going to the library and pulling a random book off the shelf. That has actually resulted in my falling in love with David Levithan, Sarah Dessen, and a few other authors' writings. However, I do have a list of books I've accumulated over quite a long time, and hopefully I will get around to reading them.

• A Wrinkle in Time- Madeleine L'Engle
• Scarlett- Alexandria Ripley
• Infernal Devices series- Cassandra Clare
• Mortal Instruments series- Cassandra Clare
• The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
• Wherever You Go- Heather Davis
• Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card
• Divergent series- Veronica Roth
• Shiver series- Maggie Steifvater
• Y: The Last Man- Brian KoVaugh
• Gone- Michael Grant
• An Abundance of Katherines- John Green
• The Maze Runner series- James Dasher
• The Dead Zone- Stephen King
• Pushing the Limits- Katie McGarry
• Beautiful Creatures- Kiami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• 11/22/63- Stephen King
• Slob- Ellen Potter
• The Raven Boys- Maggie Steifvater
• Reached- Ally Condie
• Strange Angels- Lili St. Crow
• Percy Jackson series- Rick Riordan
• Harry Potter series- J.K. Rowling
• The Dark Tower series- Stephen King
• Fables and Fairest series- Bill Willingham
• Paper Towns- John Green
• The Giver series- Lois Lowry
• Maximum Ride series- James Patterson