33. The Great Gatsby

Book #33: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published: Originally published in 1922
180 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

The mysterious Jay Gatsby embodies the American notion that it is possible to redefine oneself and persuade the world to accept that definition. Gatsby's youthful neighbor, Nick Carraway, fascinated with the display of enormous wealth in which Gatsby revels, finds himself swept up in the lavish lifestyle of Long Island society during the Jazz Age. Considered Fitzgerald's best work, The Great Gatsby is a mystical, timeless story of integrity and cruelty, vision and despair.


I've been meaning to read more classic literature and this was one of my first attempts at it. I'm certainly not disappointed. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a household name, famous and immortal. I've read quotes from him and snippets of his books and I knew I'd like anything I'd read. He is a genius with words and emotions, throwing you into a world that look picture perfect from the outside and then letting you dive into the disaster lingering within. And even though this book was written in 1922, it still rings true to life now, way too true.


Our narrator, Nick Carraway, has just moved in next door to The Great Gatsby. He's never met him but he's heard stories of the fabulous parties he throws every night. One night, he is invited into the house not even knowing who Gatsby is. When they are finally introduced, the dominoes are only lining up. What pursues is a tragic summer that shows us just how fragile the american dream is.


Jay Gatsby is just a cover up. He throws the parties and hides behind them, hoping that Daisy Buchannan will one day show up and notice him again. Truths are spilled when they've been secrets for years. Love lives and dies and lives become so entangled that it's hard to know where each one ends. We witness all this through the eyes of Nick, who knows everyones secrets because he is trusted with them. But it is a burden to bear and when it all comes crashing down, he's not sure where his loyalties lay. Nick could be the american dream. He could have the perfect lie with the perfect job and wife, but instead he is thrown into Gatsby's life, the false american dream that comes crumbling down. 


This book shows us how different everything is behind closed doors. We don't know which men are beating their wives. We don't know which couples are having love affairs. We don't know who ran over that person in the street or why. We only know what they want us to know. We only see what they want us to see. And nothing is as perfect as it is laid out to be. I learned a lot from this book. I learned to look past what I see on the surface and to try to appreciate what's beneath. Gatsby was played out to be the bad guy, dealing with the wrong people and throwing money around, when all he really wanted was to get back the girl he loved. And they could have lived happily ever after if they had the chance. I learned that those who have a lot of friends on the outside may end up alone in the end. I wished for anything but for Gatsby, but the sad truth is that none of the people who went to his parties were his friends save for Nick and Daisy. It reminds us that we don't have much time to make those connections. Who will show up at your funeral? What do you deserve?


There is a reason this book is a classic. Fitzgerald captures the mood of the jazz age and catapults us into the drama, love, and betrayal of young lives. And there's no way of knowing that all of that isn't still happening behind closed doors.


“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” 


“So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight.”

32. Masque Of The Red Death

Book #32: Masque Of The Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Published: April 24, 2012
320 Pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.


I hadn't read the original Masque of The Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe until I bought this one. I knew I had to read it to fully appreciate this novel since she based the premise off of the original short horror. Poe paints a terrifying scene disguised in lavish fabrics and hidden under flowing gowns. In the short pages, he describes the horror of a plague. Griffin has done the same in her pages and adds a love story to the mix.


Araby has lost the only thing that mattered to her - her twin brother. She now feels like she has nothing to live for and spends her evenings in the Debauchery Club trying to find oblivion. Things quickly pick up when she meets Will for real, a man that checks her for the disease every time she comes into the club, but hasn't spoken to her outside of that. She figures out quickly that he is not the man she thought he was, he's even better. Then of course, there's Elliott, and he's exactly what she figured he be.


The world we're pulled into to is too real. Plagues have killed off societies in the past and could again, and Araby is living in one. Her father has invented a mask that protects people from the plague - it's porcelain and can only be worn by one person or else it looses its ability to keep your air clean. The masks have become a part of everyone and you begin to read people's expressions through their eyes. Nobody is who they seem and everyone is hiding something.


Elliott enlists the help of Araby to start a revolution. His uncle, Prospero, is the master of the city and he'll do anything to put him in his place. Araby is quickly pushed into a world that she's been trying to get out of. The plot flows perfectly from chapter to chapter, and Araby's adventures keep you turning the page. Whereas at the beginning of the book when she is suicidal and pledges not to experience anything her brother couldn't, both Will and Elliot take her far beyond anything she imagined possible. She gradually discovers something worth living for. 


I've heard mixed reviews about Araby, but I enjoyed her character. The hopelessness she felt at the beginning of the book was all too realistic in a world like that. Who wouldn't feel hopeless and lost in a world where people are dying right in front of you? Her family doesn't appreciate the fact that she is the surviving child and she knows her parents see her brother every time they look at her. Meeting Will gives her hope, even if that hope is false. Will is a wonderful character. He is the kind of person who would do anything to protect his family. That may hurt others around him, but it's that selflessness that is needed in a time like this. Elliott is perhaps the complete opposite and would do anything to benefit himself. That makes him dangerous and attracting, I suppose, but I could see right through him. I know his motives are probably going to get some people killed in the sequel. 


This book caught me from the first page and I fell right in. I felt the dread of the plague. I smelled the dying people on the streets. I longed for hope along side Araby. The ending cut off too quickly, before any of the real action and romance could start and I can't wait to discover what Araby will find in the next chapter. 


“And I'm falling in love with you,' he whispers. "But I would throw you in the water and watch crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me.” 

Cover Reveal: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

As you know, I'm a big fan of The Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano. Although I haven't actually reviewed the first book, Wither, I did review the second, Fever, and I loved them both. So I seriously can't wait to get my hands on the final instalment, Sever. Here's a sneak peek at the series:


What if you knew exactly when you would die? In the not-too-distant future, genetic engineering has turned every newborn into a ticking time bomb — males only live to age 25 and females only live to age 20.
In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. When 16-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by "the Gatherers" to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Rhine has only one purpose after she has been married to her new husband, Linden: to escape and find her twin brother.


But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant to whom she is dangerously attracted, Rhine is desperate to learn the truth and protect those closest to her. But, as her sister wife Cecily keeps insisting, her role may be much bigger than that.


In the first two books of the Chemical Garden trilogy, Wither and Fever, Rhine struggles to escape the mansion and then to navigate the brutal world outside. Now in Sever, the third and final book, Rhine uncovers some shattering truths about the past that her parents never had the chance to tell her and the alarming implications regarding her own genes. She may be the one who can save the human race. (Goodreads)


Sounds awesome right? Well the other two were amazing, so I have no doubt that I'll love this last one. DeStefano has brought a unique world to the dystopian genre. Sever will be out in February of next year! Way too long of a wait if you ask me!

YA Crush Tourney Update

Awesome! Most of my boys made it into the tournament!

Tod, Zachary, Peeta, Ash, Noah, Alex and Four all made it in!

Now the fun part begins ;)

Check out the final 32 on the site here and don't forget to vote when the time comes!

(I'll be reminding everyone, especially now that I'm on Team Kilt and working on getting Zach into the winning spot)

31. Shine

Book #31: Shine
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Published: May 1, 2012
416 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.


Aura's world caught my attention the moment I fell into it. The first book in the series, Shade, introducing us to a world where ghosts haunt the living and living deal with it. After a mysterious occurrence called the Shift happens, all those under the age of eighteen can see and talk to ghosts. Aura is one of those who has to deal with listening to ghosts complain and try to move on with their afterlives. But when Aura's rockstar boyfriend, Logan, dies suddenly on his birthday, she is suddenly glad she can see ghosts. Throughout the first two novels, Shade and Shift, Aura digs into the mysteries behind the Shift and gradually moves on with her life so that Logan can pass on. This process is sped up with the help of Zachary, the gorgeous Scottish exchange student, who captures her heart and waits ever so patiently for her to move on from Logan.


In this third and final installment, Aura has discovered more about the Shift than the government would like. They now know that she was the first person born after the Shift and Zachary was the last before, and will do anything to hold them in order to find out what they can do. And boy can they do a lot. Aura, as the first, can help Shades turn back into ghosts, and Zach, as the last, is like a living black box, no ghost can come near him. When they kiss, aura takes on Zach's ability and vice versa, leaving them with the thought that they may be the only two who can end the Shift. But it won't be easy. The government holds Zach in containment and Aura is desperate to find a way to help him and to discover everything she can about the government trying to find them.


Aura and Zachary's relationship is beautiful and heartbreaking. When they are apart, you can feel Aura's agony in every breath she takes. And when they are together, it's only them against the world, trying to hold on before they are separated again. Smith-Ready knows how a heart feels when it is torn from its other half. The long distance that you feel when even though you can see them on a screen, all you want to do is touch them. Their reunion is magical, eager and too short. As they explore Ireland together, connecting the pieces of the puzzle in order to keep the world from ghosts, their love grows stronger and more inimate. There is still so much pain between them and as a reader, all I wanted was to see them have their happy ending. From the beginning, I knew Zachary was the right guy for Aura (yes I know Logan is dead, but she still loved him dearly) and I'm glad that Aura stepped out of the darkness and saw the light burning in front of her. Together, they are the key characters needed to end the Shift, and together they find a way to fall in love even when they are living on opposite sides of the ocean.


Ireland has played a key part in all three books. Logan has Irish roots and plays in a Celtic band. And Ireland is birth place of the Shift. Smith-Ready captures the magic and lore of the Isle as well as the accents and manners of the Scots. The whole world is believable and scary and the minor characters light up the scene just as much as the ghosts do. I've found a new favourite author in Smith-Ready and I can't wait to see what other magic she has up her sleeve.


“His soul's fabric was weaving itself with mine. I loved the frayed ends where it came unraveled, and I loved the strength at its firm, solid center. I loved every thread.” 


Also, don't forget to nominate Logan and/or Zachary in this year's YA Crush Tourney! 

30. Anna Dressed In Blood

Book #30: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendre Blake
Published: August 30, 2011
316 Pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

The story opens perfectly: Cas is right in the middle of a ghost killing. It sets the scene for what's to come - ghosts, horror, and lots of blood. We immediately know what Cas is capable of, so when we find out that he's going to Thunder Bay in search of an intense ghost, we're sure he can do what he came for. He is headstrong and a tad full of himself, yet shies away from actually getting to know people because he knows he won't be staying long. He mostly keeps to himself, ghosts becoming better friends than the living. But something about Thunder Bay is different and it's not just Anna - the ghost he's come to kill.

The characters flew of the pages for me. Cas with his take no prisoners, too good for everyone attitude, and his mother's feel good witchy love. Thomas, his first friend in Thunder Bay, a mindreader who knows just as much about the underworld as Cas does, is geeky and loveable. Carmel, the prom queen, is an unlikely team member, but she's sweet as pie and eventually shows her strength. Lastly, and most importantly, there's Anna. Innocent Anna who was gruesomely murders and now haunts the house she died in, killing all those who step foot over the threshold. That is, everyone but Cas. No one is quite sure of the reason why she spared him, but the friendship and romance that comes later proves there's more to the story than we know.

Anna is the reason why Cas is in Thunder Bay, but she is not the reason he's scared to be there. Twists and turns keep this story going and leave you wanting to keep the lights on at night. Blake captures fear perfectly, describing scenes in the exact right way to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing. Even just with Anna, we see both sides of her so fluently: the devilish side where her hair flies around her like Medusa and her dress drips blood and the innocent young girl, in her prim white dress and hope in her eyes.

I love a good ghost story, and she delivered. It did take me quite awhile to finish it, as I could only read a little bit at a time, not sure why, but it didn't quite capture me enough to want to read it all in one sitting like good books do. The romance between Cas and Anna is truly believable, since Cas relates better with ghosts than humans. Their story is heart breaking and brutal, just like her death. I can't wait to read about more of Cas' adventures in the books to follow.

“She's my purpose and we're going to save each other. We're going to save everyone. And then I'm going to convince her that she's supposed to stay here. With me.” 

YA Crush Tourney Time

It's about that time again kids!

Last year The YA Sisterhood started one amazing tournament: Crushes from our favourite YA novels. For months, it was all gorgeous boys and swooning all over blogs, Tumblr, and Twitter. Graphics arose showing half naked men pleading for your vote. Too many good reasons to vote for all of them and I'm sure we all had our favourites. Jace Wayland took the title (well deserved) so this year there are big shoes to fill! There will be some newcomers, old favourites, and underdogs rearing to take the throne.

Here are my top picks:

Nash Hudson (Soul Screamers Series)

Tod Hudson (Soul Screamers Series)

Peeta Mallark (The Hunger Games)

Zachary Moore (The Shift Series)

Four/ Tobias (Divergent)

Noah Shaw (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer)

Number Four (I Am Number Four)

Alex (Delirium)

Ash (The Iron Fey Series)

Adam (Shatter Me)


Nominations are now open, so please nominate your favourite boys and then Vote. Vote Vote!