The Seven Rays

"The Seven Rays" by Jessica Bendinger
Hardcover: 330 pages
Published: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (November 24, 2009)

Description:
You are more than you think you are.

THAT IS THE ANONYMOUS MESSAGE that Beth Michaels receives right before she starts seeing things. Not just a slept-through my-alarm-clock, late-for-homeroom, haven't had-my-caffeine-fix kind of seeing things. It all starts with some dots, annoying pink dots that pop up on and over her mom and her best friend's face. But then things get out of control and Beth is seeing people's pasts, their fears, their secrets, their desires. The images are coming at Beth in hi-def streaming video and she can't stop it. Everyone thinks she's crazy and she's pretty sure she agrees with them. But crazy doesn't explain the gold envelopes that have started arriving, containing seeing keys and mysterious tarot cards. To Beth, it all seems too weird to be true. You are more than you think you are? But here's the thing: What if she is?

The creator of Bring it On, Jessica Bendiner, brings her teen savvy writing to this paranormal romance, The Seven Rays.

I really liked this book, and I wish there was a sequel.  Yes, I actually said that about a book.  I can't believe I want a sequel to this book, but there was so much more I wanted to know when it ended.  I like to read about people with abilities, paranormal, etc.  This was a good fictional one.  My daughter liked it, too.

 

Between the Lines

"Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer
Hardcover: 358 pages
Published: Simon Pulse (June 26, 2012)

Description:
What happens when happily ever after... isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

This was a cute book, and a good first one for Jodi's daughter, Samantha.  I really liked the idea for this story and it was well written.  It was a little young for my taste, but good anyway.

 

Rapture

"Rapture" (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate
Hardcover: 432 pages
Published: June 12, 2012

Description:
The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Alright...I've waited and waited for this last book.  When I finally read it I thought "This is it?"  It was only okay.  Of course, this whole series has been only okay.  It kept my interest though, and I thought it ended well.  I kind of figured out Luce's past before it was revealed towards the end.  I knew that was coming in the last book.  Angels and demons and some interesting points of view regarding Heaven and Hell through this series.  I'm glad I read them all.

Dreamless

"Dreamless" (Starcrossed #2) by Josephine Angelini
Hardcover: 487 pages
Published: HarperTeen (May 29, 2012)

Description:
Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out--a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling "Starcrossed" delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

This was a really good sequel to "Starcrossed".  Sometimes you never can tell with trilogy's, but this one seems to be getting better.  Not that the last book wasn't good...it really was!  I like that this trilogy has a different storyline than most of the books out there.  Mythology is very refreshing after reading all about vampires, werewolves, and dystopian novels.  I am looking forward to the next book!  I hope it doesn't take too long to be published.

 

Afterwards

"Afterwards" by Rosamund Lupton
Hardcover: 400 pages
Published: Crown Publishing Group (April 24, 2012)

Description:
There is a fire and they are in there. They are in there...

Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and rush. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her.

Afterwards Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her children from the person who's still intent on destroying them. Afterwards, she must fight the limits of her physical strength and discover the limitlessness of love.

This book was OK.  Although this book has an interesting point of view, I found it kind of slow sometimes.  I also found that the combo of after death and crime mystery to be a bit much.  Much of the investigating in the book I felt was unneeded.  

 

Voyager

"Voyager" (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon
Hardcover: 1072 pages
Published: Delta (August 7, 20010

Description:
From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.
Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.
Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

 Wow...it's been a whole month since I've written anything!  This was probably the longest book I've ever read...AND they keep getting longer!  Hopefully I'll get through the next one in this series in a more timely manner.  Whew!

Anyway...this book was good, but not my favorite so far.  It took me forever to read, but it is summer after all.  I still love this series as a whole, and I plan on sticking it out to the end.  I've heard that the next one is really good, and I can't wait to start reading it.  I need a break first.  This book (if you have been reading these) takes Claire back to Scotland after 20 years in the present time.  She finds out that Jamie is still alive, so she takes a chance and goes back again.  She leaves her now 20 year old daughter back in the present, so I wonder if something will come of that later.  I guess I'll have to wait and see.  It kinda bothered me that she goes back to Scotland in the first third of the book, instead of towards the end.  Her trip back starts off a whole new journey again, but it felt strange having that story half-way through.  Anyway, a good book.

Gypsy Boy

"Gypsy Boy" by Mikey Walsh
Hardcover: 278 pages
Published: Hodder & Stoughton 2009

Description:
Mikey was born into a Romany Gypsy family. They live in a closeted community, and little is known about their way of life. After centuries of persecution Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave you can never come back.
This is something Mikey knows only too well.

Growing up, he rarely went to school, and seldom mixed with non-Gypsies. The caravan and camp were his world.

But although Mikey inherited a vibrant and loyal culture his family’s legacy was bittersweet with a hidden history of grief and abuse.
Eventually Mikey was forced to make an agonising decision – to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere he could truly belong.

This book was an interesting look into the lives of Romany Gypsies.  There is a show on TV right now that is about gypsies, and this book kind of reminds me of that.  Although this book shows a darker side to their ways of living, and hopefully not all are like this.  This is a sad and sometimes upsetting book to read, so beware.  It also reminds me of the book "A Child Called It".