Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most Books From

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make bookish lists of bookish topics.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most Books From

1. Rachel Vincent (11 books) Still have to read her Shifters series, but she is by far my favourite author!

2. Sophie Kinsella (13 books) She's still one of my favourites, though I still haven't read Shopaholic to the Stars

3. Sarah Dessen (10 books) Only two more of hers that I need to read. Love them!

4. Colleen Hoover (12 books) I've read them all and I've loved all of them!

5. Cora Carmack (7 books) Literally my favourite New Adult author. She's so sweet!

6. Miranda Kenneally (6 books) More please.

7. K.A. Tucker (8 books) Breaks my heart every time, but I always come back for more. A fantastic writer.

8. Nicholas Sparks (12 books) Yes, I was really into Nick for a while there, but I've kind of grown out of it so even though there are still about 5 to read and on my shelf, I'll probably never get around to them, unless they make them into movies, that seems to get the ball rolling.

9. Sophie Jordan (8 books) Both her Teen and New Adult books have blown me away.

10. Lauren Oliver (10 books) The queen of YA. Her writing is amazing and I've loved every one of her books. Can't wait for another one!

It's easy to read a lot of books from an author when they write well and continue making great series. Even better when they move between genres, like Ya and NA to keep me interested. Who are some of your go-tos?

Review: Vanishing Girls

Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 10th, 2015
Hardcover, 357 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late. 

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other. 

Lauren Oliver has a way with words. I would read her grocery list and she forever keeps me guessing. Since the beginning, I haven't been able to predict the endings of her books. They are never easy, they are never an escape and they rarely have the kind of happily ever after I strive for. She has a thing for ghosts and unhappy families, and Vanishing Girls took everything I've learned about her writing and pulled me into so many opposite directions that there was no way for me to know how it would end. Sisters Dara and Nick were the best of friends until an accident scarred Dara's face. Dara hides out in her room now as Nick tries to continue on with life, getting a summer job at the local amusement park. But when a young girl goes missing in town and suddenly Dara is gone on her birthday, Nick knows there must be a connection between the two and she won't stop until she finds her sister.

This is a novel about moving on. The accident left everything in ruins and neither sister is brave enough to do something to make it better. It starts out slow, like a contemporary novel just about two sisters trying to move on from a terrible accident. Told in both Dara and Nick's point of views, in both the present and the past, we get to see how the sisters used to be and what's going on in each of their heads now that things are different. Dara is the reckless sister, the one that puts on too much makeup and goes out to party late at night. Nick is the older, more responsible sister. She is calm in the face of panic and ready to go after Dara and bring her home. Then there's Parker, the boy who comes between the two sisters. But once Dara disappears, this quickly becomes a mystery book, where the ending is unknown and suddenly all the problems these sisters had didn't matter. Dara has let clues to help Nick find her, and the more digging Nick does, the deeper she gets into what Dara was really involved in. I loved that Nick worked at Fanland, a somewhat normal part of her life that gave her something to focus on instead of Dara. I liked that it brought her closer to Parker, their friendship not quite how it was since he got involved with Dara. And I especially loved that everything I thought was true was wrong and there was no telling how everything would end when or if Nick ever found Dara.

Oliver is a trickster and everything leading up to that ending couldn't have prepared me for it. It was fast, crazy and completely unpredictable and I must say this is the most she's surprised me yet. Her writing still amazes me and the relationship she built between Nick and Dara will stay me long after I've closed this book. I can't wait to see what she'll have in store for us next.

"Funny how things can stay the same forever and then change so quickly."

"Sometimes people stop loving you. And that's the kind of darkness that never gets fixed."

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors of All Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we make lists of wonderful and bookish things.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors of All Time

I love authors as much as I love their books. They are all so sweet on social media and meeting them at events is always exciting for me. Here's hoping I get to be one of those one day!

1. Rachel Vincent: The day I meet her (if it ever happens) will be incredible. She's great with her readers and I've been lucky to win some signed books by her. Can't wait for her new ones to come out soon!

2. Rainbow Rowell: She is literally the sweetest thing in the world. Meeting her was awesome and we even owned the same dress! We had a moment about it, okay?

3. Marissa Meyer: I showed up in a Scarlet cosplay when I got to meet her and she loved it! She was really sweet and her love of Sailor Moon just makes me really happy.

4. Stephanie Perkins: Her books are swoon-worthy and she's really great with her fans. Hopefully I'll get to meet her one day too!

5. Kasie West: My favourite contemporary author. Her books are great, fast reads and I seriously cannot wait for The Fill-In Boyfriend to be out!

6. Courtney Summers: A fellow Torontonian, Courtney's books are so different from what's out there right now and they are so important. If you haven't read All the Rage yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

7. Tiffany Schmidt: I've had some great Twitter moments with Tiffany and she has been fantastic. We pulled an all-nighter together for her book Before the Sunrise (go read it now!) and I kind of decided we needed to be best friends after that. She's also great friends with Courtney Summers and how cool is that?

8. Lauren Oliver: She was a joy to meet! Her books are incredible and they just keep getting better. Her writing is something I strive to even remotely resemble and I love that she was so down to earth in person.

9. Cora Carmack: New Adult at its best here people. Cora is so adorable and awkward and she always sets up book release parties on Facebook with tons of giveaways and lots of interactions. That makes her perfect in my eyes.

10. Miranda Kenneally: Her books are so great and they quickly became my favourites. I can't for more from her and I'd love to have the chance to meet her one day!

Having the opportunity to meet my favourite authors has been fantastic. I've met some great people, had some great interactions and it made me feel closer to them. Even just having them reply to me on Twitter or Facebook is a great experience. Their books are important too, but how they treat their readers is more important to me.

Waiting on Wednesday: Vanishing Girls

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we spotlight an upcoming release we are eagerly anticipating.

My WoW this week is:

Vanishing Girls
By Lauren Oliver
Hardcover, 480 pages
Expected Publication: March 3, 2015

From Goodreads:

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-yea-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other. 

Lauren is a fantastic story telling and I can't wait to dive into this one! Sounds very different than what I've read from her before and I'm interested to see where she will take this.

What's your Waiting on Wednesday?

Review: Panic

Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 4, 2014
Hardcover, 408 pages
4.5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

When I heard Oliver had a book coming out, I knew I needed it right away. When I heard it was a contemporary book, I immediately thought about Before I Fall, her debut that blew me away. And while this book has the same prose as her others, it is so completely different that I can't even compare it to the others. Panic is so different from anything I've read, by Oliver or otherwise. When I saw that it was written in third person, I was worried. I'm so in love with hearing characters come to life in their own words, but I bit my tongue and took my words back after the first chapter. Panic came to be one summer when the graduating students got bored. There's no much else to do in Carp anyway, so they may as well make it interesting. Panic is a game that lasts all summer, only graduates may play. You don't have to, but the prize waiting for you at the end makes me hard not too. But Panic is not easy. Panic makes you face your worse fears or worse. People have been injured, people have died. But Heather needs to the money so she can get out of Carp and Dodge needs the money so he can help his sister. 

This book was so hard to put down. Even the parts between the challenges, the parts where not much was happening, kept me anticipating what would come next. Just like the contestants of Panic, I didn't know what was in store for me next. Each word Oliver used made me second guess anything I thought might happen. With each day,  a new Panic challenge would arrive anonymously, sending fear through the contestants. Heather was relatable, coming from a not so good home life and realizing that the money could help her get her sister out of the small town. She is certainly not your typical YA heroine in her looks. She's bigger and taller, while it's her friend, Nat, is the cute pretty one. And Dodge is so far from the normal YA hero, it's a breath of fresh air. He's dirty and conniving, but it's all for a reason. Both are trying to do what's best for their families, even if they risk their own lives doing it, and both are also wading through the waters of love, hoping against all hope that they will still have a chance when Panic is over.

Oliver's characters were not perfect at all. Their flaws only made their motives more thrilling and made me rooting for both Heather and Dodge to win Panic. The secrets they kept from each other, their reasons for playing, gave me a thrill that I don't get very often in other books. Even in the last few chapters, there was no telling who would take the prize home and who would actually survive to tell about it. Everything about the book was unique and I was engaged all the way to the end. The Delirium series fell short for me, but Before I Fall still reminds one of my favourites. This book was reminiscent of her first novel and I was glad to see that side of her back again. Can't wait for more, Lauren!

“It was so strange, the way that life moved forward: the twists and the dead ends, the sudden opportunities. She supposed if you could predict or foresee everything that was going to happen, you’d lose the motivation to go through it all. The promise was always in the possibility.” 

Waiting On Wednesday:

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. It highlights the books that we are most anxiously awaiting!



Panic
Lauren Oliver
Expected Publishing Date: March 4, 2014
Hardcover, 416 pages

(summary from Goodreads)

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I can't wait to read Lauren Oliver's new book. Her first book, Before I Fall, blew me away and I loved Delirium as well. Her writing is beautiful and poetic and her characters have a way of getting into my head. This book sounds like it will be a mix between the two, and Im excited to see the new things she can bring to the table. 

Any other Lauren Oliver fans out there? Does this book sound as good as her others?

Review: Requiem

Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 5, 2013
391 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

There was no preparing myself for this book. The ending of Pandemonium left me screaming, kicking, and throwing my book on the floor. What was I supposed to do? Alex was thought to be dead and I was falling for Julian because he's just as adorable and loves Lena so much. Then all of sudden, there he is, and I just know he's going to cause some problems. Enter Requiem, with Alex changed from living in the crypts and Lena not sure of her feelings for both boys now that there are two, all tension is charged and each word causes more pain for someone in the story.

What I loved most about this instalment is that Hana has a leading role. After reading her short story, Hana, I understood where she was coming from. I think we've all been jealous of our friends at some point in time and Hana just handled it the wrong way. Seeing her afterwards and how it's affected her, shows me that she regrets everything she's done. Now she's about to become the mayor's wife and she is gradually finding out things about him that make her want to run. Her story is intriguing and suspenseful and I found myself wanting to be reading her point of view more so than Lena's.

Lena's story started off kind of dull. The tension between her and Alex made me want to cry, but their journey through the Wilds seemed too slow. I think I just wanted her to find her mom as I felt it was lacking emotion. There weren't any cute love scenes between her and Julian, which makes sense since she started to second guess her feelings for him, but I think that's what's kept this series going. Love is forbidden and they are running and trying to regain their freedom, but when love is no longer in the forefront, than what's the point? I do understand why Oliver did everything she did and in the end it all made sense and the freedom that they've been fighting for took centre stage, but something was missing from the middle.

Seeing what was happening both inside and outside the walls made for an emotional journey. I knew that when the stories came together, something would go wrong, and the intensity just grew. Maybe people have complained about the ending as it is not wrapped up in a nice package, but once again I think that made this book better. There is a huge world full of cured people, there is no way for Lena and the Resistance to completely stop this. That would be highly unlikely and seem fake. So I think the ending made sense for this series and I hope it satisfied most people, like myself. If we want to revisit these characters, we can simply close our eyes and imagine how their lives will turn out after the final page is over. Oliver has written some great short stories to go along with this series that give more in depth views into some of the lesser known characters. This book is about freedom of choice and I think it captures that theme perfectly.

“This is the strange way of the world, that people who simply want to love are instead forced to become warriors.” 

“But maybe happiness isn't in the choosing. Maybe it's in the fiction, in the pretending: that wherever we have ended up is where we intended to be all along.”

Review: Breathless & Annabel

As I've mentioned before, I love novellas, especially ones that advance a story I already love. Here are two recent ones I read:

 Breathless
Author: Sophie Jordan
Published: December 4, 2012
100 pages (ebook)
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

For Az, it's supposed to be a fun summer vacation with her family. Nothing complicated. Just a quick trip to test the waters as she prepares for a year on her own. That all changes when she rescues a drowning girl and meets Tate—the most gorgeous human boy she's ever seen. Tate throws her heart, her plans, and her life into upheaval, but the closer she gets to him, the harder it is to hide the secret of what she is. With no hope for a future together, the last thing that can ever happen . . . is love.

Az, a character we didn't really get a chance to know, gets the spotlight in this Firelight novella. Though I'm sure when this story is supposed to take place or where in the plot it fits it, I loved it anyway. Jacinda is a distant character, though her name does come up as Az falls deeper into danger when she meets Tate and cant seem to stop herself from being with him. She thinks of Jacinda as someone who would never put her pride at risk (which makes me think this happens before Firelight) 

Az is a water draki, feeling most at home when she's deep underwater. Swimming one day, she gets stuck at the bottom when a group of kids come to the pond and start to swim. Risking being caught, she saves one of Tate's friends, thus throwing their lives together in a way she never imagined. A much shorter and not nearly as dangerous love story as Jacinda's, Az too finds herself drawn to the human world and willing to risk everything to be with the one she loves. The 100 pages don't give us a chance to see big differences between Az and Jacinda, but I love Az and would love to read more about her.

Jordan, who is also a romance novelist, creates scenes realistic enough to be believable, yet writes them like a fantasy. Her words curl around each other and she makes you fall in love with every character. Her boys are dreamy and her girls are cautious yet willing to take that leap. You can see the romance skills in her young adult work and it fits perfectly, sending chills up your spine as you wait for them to kiss, the anticipation killing you. She's taken two worlds and turned them into something magical.

Annabel
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: December 26, 2012
50 pages (ebook)
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Lena Halloway's mother, Annabel, supposedly committed suicide when Lena was only six years old. That's the lie that Lena grew up believing, but the truth is very different. As a rebellious teenager, Annabel ran away from home and straight into the man she knew she was destined to marry. The world was different then—the regulations not as stringent, the cure only a decade old. Fast forward to the present, and Annabel is consigned to a dirty prison cell, where she nurtures her hope of escape and scratches one word over and over into the walls: Love.

But Annabel, like Lena, is a fighter. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present, Annabel reveals the story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape.

The world Oliver has created in Delirium is one of the best dystopian worlds I've seen yet. Love is considered a disease, people get cures for it, and those who escape the cure live wild and free to love. Lena is happy for the cure until she meets Alex and suddenly getting cured of love doesn't make sense to her. Her mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery to her. Having thought all her life that she had committed suicide when Lena was a child, she never expects to find out that she lives, let alone has escaped the cure and is now living in the Wilds. Annabel tells the story of Lena's mom in the same format as Pandemonium. We alternate between the present, her locked in the Crypts daring an escape, and the past, when she was a young uncured girl falling in love. 

Oliver's writing is perfection. I get swept up into her stories and forget about everything around me. I read this in one sitting, craving more. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for Requiem and this novella thrilled me just as much as a full novel of hers does. Her prose is beautiful and she uses her words with love, carving out a word where love is forbidden yet so alive in the eyes of our narrators. The ending of this gave me a lot of hope for the finale and I can't wait to get sucked into that novel as well. Raven, another novella is coming out soon and I have no doubt that will be amazing as well.

Novellas: A Perfect Companion

Novellas have to easily be my favourite extras to a series. They give the author a chance to dive back into their world in a new way. Most of the time the novellas are told from a different viewpoint and it gives us, the readers, the chance to see into the minds of other characters we love. It also makes the year long wait for the next instalment a bit more bearable.

Here are some of my favourite short stories. (All have been read in E book format as that is usually the only way they are available.)

Reaper by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers): Told from Tod's point of view and taking place before the actual series starts, we get the back story that changes everything. This was the turning point for me where my love for Tod became too much to hide.

Hana by Lauren Oliver (Delirium): Who wouldn't want to know what went through Lena's best friend Hana's mind during Delirium? Hana has been excited or the cure, desperate to stop the disease, but she soon discovers how intriguing love can be. Hana's adventures are just as intense as Lena's and we get to see another side to this emotional story.

Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa (The Iron Fey): As much as I love Ash, Puck's story was so much fun to read. His quirks and puns make him so loveable and it's certainly interesting in this guy's head.

Never To Sleep by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers): Okay, I just love everything Rachel Vincent writes and she has made me like evil Sophie. She gets a real taste of what Kaylee goes through on a regular basis and it helps her understand her cousin a little better. There was no way I could hate her after reading her story.







And a few that I can't wait to read:

Breathless by Sophie Jordan (Firelight) A love story about Az, Jacinda's best friend, involving her falling in love with a human? Um, yes please!

Roar And Liv by Veronica Rossi (Under The Never Sky): Back stories are my favourite. You get to learn so much about characters and see them in a whole new light. I can't wait to read the love story between two of the minor characters in Under The Never Sky.

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me): Even though I'm not a huge fan of Warner, I'm still curious to hear his story.

The Legacies by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies): Though I still haven't picked up The Rise Of Nine, I'm still very interested in this series and would love to read about the other legacies.

19. Before I Fall

Book #19: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 2, 2010
470 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

This book broke my heart. Lauren Oliver captured redemption and love and loss perfectly. Yes all of this could have happened to the character while she was alive, but instead she finds her peace through death after reliving the final day of her life over seven times. Samantha Kingston is your average mean girl: she has her popular clique of friends, has ditched anyone from her past that wasn't cool enough, and is too cool to hang out with her family. Friday should just be another day in her wonderful life but it turns out to be her last, well not really. Samantha gets the chance to do something that we all wish we could do - a do-over. 

Failure, mischief, and complete lack of caring ensue as Samantha goes through that Friday over and over, trying to discover the mystery behind her death. It's exactly the same way anyone who could have the chance to do this would do. You live it up, but still end up alone at the end because you are dead. She hurts some people, gets to know some people better, and in the process learns who she really is and tries to change herself. It's brutal and heart wrenching, watching Samantha become a better person when it's not going to change anything really. And yet, it captured my heart and torn at its strings and I never wanted it to let go.

Each character has a unique story and even they change over the course of the novel even though they aren't the ones going through what Samantha is. There are her best friends, Lindsey, Ally and Elody, who we find out secrets, hopes, dreams and mistakes that change how Samantha sees everything. Kent, Samantha's old friend from grade school whom she ditched once she got popular, becomes a bigger part in her life than her boyfriend. He is caring and has never stopped thinking about Samantha even after she chose to pretend he didn't exist. And of course Juliet, a hauntingly beautiful girl who they make fun of so much without realizing what effect it was actually having on her. 

Oliver's prose flowed from page to page, leaving me breathless. She captured death, life, and pain so perfectly that I believed everything Samantha went through and felt, everything that she faced was real and felt like it w as happening to me. I'm not normally a fan of books about death, since I don't handle it very well, but after reading this, I may just pick up some other ones. It reminds us that this could be our last day on earth and we should live it to its full potential. 

“Here's another thing to remember: hope keeps you alive. Even when you're dead, it's the only thing that keeps you alive.” 

15. Pandemonium

Book #15: Pandemonium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: February 28, 2012

375 pages

5 gold stars

(summary from Goodreads)

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

We first met Lena in Delirium, in a world where is a disease and at the age of 18, everyone gets the cure for it. Lena is on the edge of getting her cure when she meets Alex. Well, you can guess what happens. Pandemonium picks up right where Delirium left off. Lena has escaped the city and is now in the Wilds, running and trying to start a new life. There she meets other Uncured and learns to survive without her family and truly learns just how strong she really is.

Lena is the perfect herione. She picks herself up, after so much tragedy and pain, and starts a new. With the help of Raven, she becomes whole again and ready to fight back.

The novel takes place in two tenses: Before and After. It flips back and forth with each chapter, showing us who Lena was when she crossed the fence, and who she became. At first I thought this might be confusing, but Oliver skipped back and forth like a rock over water. The transitions were smooth and each chapter connected perfectly even though they took place months apart from each other. While one advanced, so did the other, and it just made me keep reading. Oliver has a way with words. Her prose and descriptions capture me and force me to re-read them over and over because they are just so beautiful. The way shows Lena's life is true and heartbreaking. We watch as Lena learns to love again, learns to open herself back up to life and living. This is what she has to do to keep going. That's the way of life, even if that's not what we want from this character, it's what she needs, it's what everyone needs.

Beautiful, heartbreaking and intriguing, Pandemonium is a great addition to the ever growing world of dystopian thrillers.

"I wonder if this is how people always get close: they heal each other's wounds; they repair the broken skin."

10. Hana/ Niederworld/ Scenic Route/ Bridge

Hana

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: February 28, 2012

ebook: 144 pages

5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

The Delirium world caught me at first glance and never let go. In a world where love is a disease and there is a cure for it, a young girl who can't wait for the cure finds herself falling head over heels the summer before her procedure. This is life isn't it? We don't know what love is like and from a distance it looks like it could be a terrible thing. One minute you're happy, the next you are huddled in a ball trying to forget the world around you. Maybe a live without love would be better... right? Lena figures out that a life without love is no life at all and Hana is about to experience something similiar. Both girls get a taste of love the last summer before their procedures. Hana takes place during the same time as Delirium and tells us Hana's side to the story.

Hana is a very sweet girl. I related to her right off the bat. She was adventurous and eager to live a bigger life than what was set out for her. She spends her summer sneaking out and going to co-ed parties. There she meets a boy who may change her life. She falls into secret keeping and curfew breaking and experiences life for the first time. Can you go back to the life you used to know once you've seen the other side? Just like Lena, Hana knows this is impossible. Too much of this story relates to our life here and now. Yes, there is no government curing us of love, but there are some people who may want to be cured. Love kills you when you have it and when you don't. But I for one, just like Lena and Hana wouldn't trade that for the world.

Entralled: Paranormal Diversions

Author: Edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

Published: September 20, 2011

443 Pages

5 Gold Stars (from what I read)

(summary from Goodreads)

"Enthralled" is a collection of 14 original teen paranormal short stories from some of today's bestselling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips.

I only read a few of the stories in this collection, so here are my short reviews for these lovely short stories.

Niederworld

Author: Rachel Vincent

I am a huge fan of the Soul Screamers universe, so whenever I hear that there is a short story involving some of the characters from the series, I must immediately read it! In this particular one, Emma and Sabine go on a mini road trip and stop in a small town called Niederworld, which is mostly populated by Harpies. Sabine is there to get some answers but it may not be as easy as she thinks it will be. I've never been a fan of Sabine, I mean, who is? But after reading this story, I kinda of like her. I've forever been Team Kaylee and Nash since I first picked up My Soul To Take, so when Sabine came in the picture and threatened that, I wanted her head on a platter. A lot has happened since that first day she showed up at school and after reading this story and Fearless (a short story involving Sabine and Nash before Kaylee) I've grown to kind of like her. In fact, I've even given her permission to have Nash (not that she needs it since she would take him anyway) She loves him and she always will. He is the only person who really understands her. Vincent wrote Sabine so well that I started to like her. I'm glad I read this before going into Before I Wake, because I'm sure it'll change my opinion on that entire book.

Scenic Route

Author: Carrie Ryan

Ryan's world of zombies intrigues me completely. The Forest of Hands and Teeth pulled me into a world where nothing may exist outside if a small village overrun by zombies. The world is no longer what it used to be and dreams are just that... dreams. Ryan introduces another set of characters in this short story, two sisters living on a hill trying to survive. They plan out trips that they know they will never get to take. They dream of a world without the monsters, without fear. When a stranger shows up at their door, their lives take a turn for the worse and things may never be the same. Zombie books and movies show us what's at the heart of humanity - fear and anger but also courage and faith. These come out when live is stripped down to the core, when survival is the only care in the world. Ryan captures these emotions and actions perfectly in every one of her books, showing us that even when we are surrounded by death, you can still live, you can still survive.

Bridge

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

This was a unique story to read. It read like a poem and it's from the point of view of Logan, Aura's dead boyfriend from the Shade series. He's a musician so there are a lot of references to music, which is both fitting and poetic. His brother blames himself for Logan's death and Logan is trying to convince him not to kill himself. The hard part is that he is a ghost and his brother cannot hear him. This story was easy to read and heartbreaking until the end. It was hard to think about Logan in the regular books, knowing he was dead and would never get to live his dream of becoming a musician, but it's even harder listening to him speak in his own voice, watching his brother struggle and not being able to do anything about it. Smith-Ready knows how to tug on a heartstring and let go at just the right second. I for one cannot wait until the final book in the series, Shine, even though I'm sure Logan won't be in it much. At least we know he's doing okay now.