Owl Recommend (23)

Owl Recommend is a feature at Owl Read It where we try to help you find your next great read!!

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I know these are middle grade reads, but they are both amazing stories that have stuck with me since I read them in middle school. Both were highly enjoyable and I've read them again since. I can't wait to share these books with my daughter.  Both series are great!

St. Vladimir's Summer School: Remedial Classes

Jen at Jen Ryland/YA Romantics and Steph at The Fake Steph Dot Com  started the St. Vladimir's Summer School. So I figured I would tag along and read some Vampire Academy since I still hadn't read it!! Lauren at The Headless Owl has also joined us!

So last week I didn't finish Last Sacrifice for the Summer School. So I spent the last few days reading every spare moment I got and finally finished it, only a week late..

Last Sacrifice
(Vampire Academy #6)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publication Date: December 7th 2010

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal

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Synopsis:

They come first. My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

My Thoughts: I honestly can't believe that it took me so long to read this book. It wasn't because I didn't like it, I LOVED it! But I've just been so busy lately, so I never got a chance to finish it. So I'm slightly sad because the series is done, but there it always the Bloodlines series for me to read! Luckily, there are six books planned for that series as well.

Ok, so Last Sacrifice takes up where Spirit Bound left off, with Rose in jail. So much happens in this book. Rose's friends stage a jail break because they are running out of time to find Tatiana's killer (OMG, I couldn't believe who it was!!!) So they send Rose off to hide with Dimitri and Sydney, in a small town in the middle of no where. Of course, Rose isn't content to sit around waiting, she has her own agenda. So off she goes to find Lissa's illegitimate sibling to give Lissa a chance to vote in the council. Of course to give themselves more time, they have Lissa run for the throne, she can't win anyways. There are some very unlikely allies, heartbreak (<3 Adrian), sex and constant motion. Things are happening fast in this book, they can't go slowly because they are running out of time.

Rose changed so much in this book, at least I thought she did. She had a lot of realizations and made so many sacrifices. She does do something that made me sad, cheating on Adrian, but I guess that leaves him open for the Bloodlines series, so we'll get to read more about him  <3. Although his hurt made me very sad. Lissa is another character that grew a lot, growing into her royal role. I will admit that I teared up a few times while reading, I got so emotionally involved with the character's lives.  The character's are just so easy to fall in love with and want more from them. It's one of the reasons I'm sadabout this series ending, since there are some characters that likely won't continue on.

 Once again, Richelle Mead had me wanting to read non stop, even if I couldn't. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it, even dreaming about it. Oh how I wish I'd had an Adrian induced spirit dream!! I read all of these in e-format, but I'm definitely going to be purchasing these for my collection, it's become a favorite for me. This is a series you don't want to miss out on. I can't wait to dive into Bloodlines! So if you haven't read Vampire Academy yet, do it, you won't be sorry!

St. Vladimir's Summer School

Ashelynn at Gypsy Book Reviews, Jen at Jen Ryland/YA Romantics and Steph at The Fake Steph Dot Com  started the St. Vladimir's Summer School. So I figured I would tag along and read some Vampire Academy since I still hadn't read it!!

Shadow Kiss
(Vampire Academy #3)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publication Date: November 13th 2008

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Is Rose’s fate to kill the person she loves most? It’s springtime at St. Vladimir’s Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason’s death, Rose hasn’t been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can’t concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret . . . .She’s in love with Dimitri. And this time, it’s way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever…

My Thoughts: This week we read Shadow Kiss the third book in the series and oh my gosh!! It was so good! I could barely put it down! I wanted to pick up the next book immediately after finishing it but I have a couple more books I need to read in the meantime, so it will have to wait until the weekend probably. I don't even know where to really start with this book because it surpassed the awesomeness of the last two books. There was so much that happened, so many feelings I went through while reading it. I have no idea why I didn't read these books sooner, Richelle Mead just has a way of making her books impossible to put down. I completely immersed myself in the world she created and lost track of time whenever I was reading.

So if you're like me, and are a super slacker when it comes to reading series that everyone recommends to you, you might be wondering what was so great about this book. What makes it stand out so much more than the previous two. Well, for one, Rose has changed... a lot. She is no longer as irresponsible as she was in the previous books. She finally realizes that she needs to take her training seriously and that she's not invincible. She also feels a lot of guilt for what happened over the holidays. She did all she could, but it wasn't enough to save her friend. And to top it all off, she's now seeing ghosts and thinks she's going crazy. Basically, Rose grew a lot as a character and fell into the role of a guardian. Of course, she still wants Dimitri, even if it could get in the way of her job. She is completely in love with him. There is quite a bit of action in this book, and some romance. The plot moves quickly and there is never a boring part, at least for me.

I think I'm team Adrian. I  guess the idea of Rose and Dimitri being together kind of creeps me out. He is her mentor after all.. So he should really know better. You can't really help who you love I guess (even if sometimes you which you could). But I'm holding out hope for Adrian! He's crazy about Rose, he just hides it behind sarcasm and wit.

I don't know if you've figured it out yet or not, but YES! I definitely recommend this book! I recommend the whole series so far! It's just too good to not read. If you even like paranormal books in the slightest. Read this now!

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush
(Hush, Hush #1)

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Publication Date: October 13th, 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: Paranormal / Romance

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Synopsis:

A SACRED OATH A FALLEN ANGEL A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

My Thoughts: I have heard a lot of raving about this book, maybe it was because of that, but I don't feel like it met my expectations. I had a very hard time getting into Hush, Hush.  Mind you, I did eventually get into it, but not until I was in the last 150ish pages. So the majority of the book was me just hoping that it was going to get better. I'm not really sure what it was that I didn't like other than just me not connecting with the characters. I had really wanted to love the book, but I just didn't. However, I will be reading the next in the series because, as I said, I did eventually get into the story. So while I really enjoyed the ending, there was still a lot of the book that was just "meh" for me. But hopefully, I'll enjoy the rest of the series. I could just be angel books that I don't like, but I've only read two, so I can't really judge the whole genre on just two books.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book because I liked it, I just didn't love it. I wasn't a huge fan of her friend Vee, since she was kind of stupid because she kept trying to push Nora and Elliot together when Nora really wasn't interested at all. But I just it felt like the book was mainly focused on relationships with guys and I'm just not the biggest fan of that. Nora was a good character herself, since she really wasn't just looking to have a boyfriend for the sake of it. As for Patch, he was a bit mysterious, and kind of the bad boy type. Which is always good.

So overall, I liked it because the end somewhat made up for the lackluster beginning (for me). So I will be reading the next in the series hoping that I will like it like the second half of the book. It was a slow climb into the excitement and sometimes that's ok, but I think I was expecting to much. Would I recommend the book? Yes, probably. If you're someone who enjoys anything angels and like to read about relationships.  Then it would probably be a great book for you. I'm just sorry I didn't enjoy the beginning half more because then I could say more about it.

Review: Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer

Artemis Fowl
(Artemis Fowl #1)

Author: Eion Colfer

Publication Date: January 1st, 2001

Publisher: Disney Book Group

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Artemis Fowl should never have kidnapped the fairy. Instead of a pleasant little bedtime story creature, this sprite turned out to be an unholy terror. All of Artemis's genius for crime was challenged by this irritating hazel-eyed little elf. It requires the entire novel to get things back under control.

My Thoughts: Artemis Fowl was a fun, short read. I enjoyed reading it and it was a bit different from the other books about fae I have read lately. The fae in this series are living underground, near the Earth's core, because they can't really coexist with humans. Unlike other fae, these ones have very advanced technology. Most fae are nature lovers and can't touch iron, so this kind of goes against that. So a bit of a different twist, but a good one.

Artemis is a 12 year old genuis, who is looking for a way to steal some faery gold. So he kidnaps one, which happens to be Holly Short, and randsoms her. I can really tell if as time goes on he feels sorry for Holly or not, but for a 12 year old kid, Artemis is pretty evil. 

Even though I enjoyed the story, I feel it didn't hold me. As in, I could just put  it down regardless of where I was in the book. I had fun reading, but there wasn't the need to continue reading while wandering around my house. Regardless, I'm still going to read the second book in the series and see how I make out with that one. Hopefully I will get sucked into it more.

Overall, this is a fun and quick read. It is well written and different from the normal story about fae. I would recommend it, since it is good, just didn't have me in suspense the whole time.

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
(Gallagher Girls #1)

Author: Ally Carter

Publication Date: April 25th 2006

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: Spy Thriller

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Synopsis:

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

My Thoughts: My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change of pace to what I've been reading lately, and the awesome thing is that I could totally see this type of thing happening. I mean, who knows if the governments of the world seeks out exceptional children by looking at their grades? It could happen! And then they would train them to be spies, yeah, I'm not good enough apparently, because I never made the cut.

This book (I'm not going to say the name over and over because it's probably one of the longest book names I've seen..) is a very fun, and enjoyable read. It's fairly fast paced and follows Cammie as she falls in love for the first time. But Cammie isn't really supposed to be seeing this boy, she goes to an all girls school and they don't mix very well with the townies, since everyone thinks they are all rich, snooty girls. But she can handle it, she is a spy after all, sneaking around and being invisible is what she does.

I like Cammie as a main character because she is smart about everything, but has no clue about boys. She is good at what she does and is a very well developed character. I look forward to reading more about her adventures at Gallagher Academy with her friends. I want to see what kind of mischief they get into next time, and see what happens between her and Josh, if anything. I definitely recommend this fun, quick read! 

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for letting me review this!