Hex Hall

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall trilogy (#1)
Pages: 323 (paperback)
Publication: March 2010
Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

My Thoughts: This young adult book was so easy to dive right into. It completely sucked me in and right off the bat I thought to myself, "why has it taken me so long to read this series?" (by the way, how cool is that cover?).

Rachel Hawkins effortlessly builds a supernatural world where her characters thrive. This novel is based at a boarding school for prodigium in the deep south, a world that our protagonist, Sophie, is pretty much new to. Being raised by a human and never having met her warlock father, Sophie is new to the whole mythology and the ways of the prodigium she accompanies at Hecate Hall (Hex Hall for short). I don't think this novel could have been written any other way. This was the best approach to creating and introducing a new world to the reader, and it felt so effortless. The dialogue felt real, the actions of the characters felt real, and yet it wasn't a hard read at all.

Very light, Hex Hall was the perfect book for me to get out of my reading slump that I was slowly sinking into. The dialogue felt real and loved jumping into the world that surrounded Hex Hall. No, it didn't address any hard-hitting issues, but that's what I liked about it. It was simple, but not simple-minded. Effortlessly written without talking down to you while staying entertaining with twists and turns in the plot line throughout the book. I honestly thought it was a perfect summer read for me, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel, Demonglass. I need to know what happens to next! It's addictive!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

Impulse

Title: Impulse
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: Impulse series (#1)
Pages: 666
Publication: January 2007
Summary: Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide. Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade. Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills. And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

My Thoughts: First going into this book, I had such high expectations because I loved the style rawness with which Ellen Hopkins wrote Crank, but I was kind of let down by this book, sadly.  I expected an emotional, roller coaster of a repeat of Crank when I started this book, but the best parts didn't even come until the last 150 pages.

It dragged in the middle for the most part and didn't pick up until the wilderness challenge part. Also, it was quite cheesy in some parts. Especially when they would not shut up about how so-and-so made them "feel again" or how they "never knew love until they met la-di-da." If it came up only a few times, fine, whatever, that's cool. But it felt never ending. It was in these part, too, where the dialogue felt the most forced, too. However I really did like the ending. It made you feel. Think. Appreciate.  I just wished that was the case about the whole of this book.

Although this book wasn't an easy read for me, considering how dark the themes were, I do hope to read the next installment to this series, Perfect, soon. I want to see where life takes these characters and the changes they must face in order to live a more well-adjusted life. They've been through so much, and it'll be nice to see them make it out okay after all the trials and tribulations that life threw at them. It gives you hope.

On another note to my readers: This can very much be considered a trigger book. I only recommend this book to those who can handle themes such as depression, suicide, sex, drugs, cutting, and mental illness. It's not exactly a light, beachy read by any means and if you aren't comfortable with any of these themes, I don't suggest you read it (especially suicide and depression. It is very heavy and graphic in those areas.)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Program

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Pages: 408 (hardcover)
Series: The Program (#1)
Publication: April 2013
Summary: In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

My Thoughts: First things first, despite the mini-rant that is about to follow, I did really enjoy this book. It's not an instant favorite of mine, though, but I did enjoy reading it and I appreciate the world that Young has built. However I do have a bone or two to pick. When I was reading Part I of this novel, I have to say, I thought Sloane and James were a bit too codependent. I understand that they were in love and all, but it was as if she couldn't function even semi-normally when she wasn't around him, which I'm assuming was a part of the disease. It got a little annoying at first and I found myself skimming the "he's my everything" parts, but once I got to Part II the story picked up in pace. This is when I was sucked in. You learn more about The Program and how it works from the inside out. Not only that, but this is when my favorite part comes into play: the character development. And god I love me some good character development.

My favorite part about this books would probably be how attached you become to Suzanne Young's characters not through the set up, but through Sloane's memories. I'm also a really big fan of dystopian books, but this one felt a little different. It wasn't like the government was trying to control everyone and keep the people under it's ever-watching thumb (does that even make any sense?). The people in the book were free to go where they wanted, eat what they wanted (I mean Coke and McDonalds still exists in this world), and they can even go on vacations. You don't feel that kind of freedom when it comes to other dystopian novels, and I like that change.

Another thing I noticed that sets this dystopian-esque book from the others is that most of the other dystopian societies you read about are ones that are long gone, yet in The Program you can tell that it's only the beginning of the end. It's a theme that you don't really get to see in many dystopians. Usually they might tell you how a society ended up this way, but you don't actually see it happen within the book.

The reason why this novel doesn't get five stars is mostly because of this theme of stubbornness being the female protagonist's fatal flaw.  Kind of like Clary, from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series, Sloane is loyal and stubborn to the point of illogical recklessness. When you reach the ending, you understand why a little bit more, but it's a theme that's getting a little overused in YA literature. It's less prominent toward the end, but I started to grow tired of how Sloane would rebel for the sake of rebellion and act out for selfish reasons about halfway through reading this book. She doesn't really think of the consequences of her actions much until the end, but that's a problem with most teens so I guess it was quite accurate on that level.

All that aside, I did really enjoy this book. Young brings up a very thought provoking subject: if such an epidemic of suicidal teens were to happen, would it be best to get rid of the thoughts, painful memories, and darkness completely? Or is it best to let it happen, sacrificing the mental well-being of a few but in turn giving teens the freedom to feel a full range of emotion? In the end, it comes down to whether or not you can you really appreciate the highs of life without the lows. 
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

June 2013 To-Be-Read (TBR)

I got a lot more reading done last month than I thought I would be able to do, but June will probably be a different story.  Since I'm taking summer classes, I'll be having a lot more homework assignments due. In other words, I'm gonna keep my reading goals realistic here and probably only be able to read five books, tops, this month. But hey, it doesn't hurt to dream big, does it? Anyways, without further ado, here's what's on my TBR pile for the month of June:

Hex Hall - by Rachel Hawkins
I just rented this book from the library, and I have to say that I'm extremely excited to start this series. I don't know why it's taken me this long to get into it, but it looks like a very entertaining read. Vampires and witches and ghosts OH MY! But first I must wait til my younger sister finishes reading it. This is what I get for having a shared library with her... (by the way: it took every fiber in my being not to add a "bewitching" or "magical" pun in there. Every. Fiber.)

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
I am determined to read an Austen book this month. I have Austen fever! If I finish this TBR list before the end of June, I may have to add an extra Jane Austen book to the list for me to read (Persuasion mayhaps?).

Just Listen and The Moon and More - by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is releasing her novel The Moon and More on June 4th, and I will definitely be purchasing it as soon as it comes out.  And I'm trying to read as many Dessen books as I can because she's doing a signing for her new book release at a local bookstore so I'm not clueless when she talks about her earlier novels (which I heard there will be a trivia session on them for book swag as well. Very exciting!). Side note: how gorgeous is this cover? It has all of my favorite YA book cover elements: lovely colors, a faceless girl, an excellent landscape, and movement. I love it!

Impulse - by Ellen Hopkins
Hopkins' poetic prose is calling my name saying, "read me, Meredith, READ ME!" How am I to resist?! I was pulled in when reading Crank last week and I'm so intrigued to see how more of her stories will play out in her unique style of writing.

The Selection - by Kiera Cass
I've heard so many good reviews about this book, and now that the second book to The Selection series is out, The Elite, I feel even more compelled to pick this one up. My sister read it, the self proclaimed "ice queen," and she loved it. If this novel can make her feel all gooey inside, then I'll be hook-line-and-sinker with this one. I'm easily swooned when it comes to books like The Selection. But it doesn't seem like some chick-lit book where the female protagonist is completely helpless and needs a man to come and save her. No, it seems kind of like the opposite of that tired and overused cliche. Which is another reason why this book looks so good!

Mid-Week Bookish Update

I have mentioned before that I consider book-buying a disease, and I've got the fever. But I've been better about going out and buying books on impulse. Instead I'm making my library card useful and renting a lot of my books recently. Not only that, but I went to my favorite used bookstore, sold a few books from last year's English classes and some others I didn't want anymore, and bought a few books at a great discount.

If you're low on funds but really want to go out and buy a book or just read something new, I highly recommend using your local library or used bookstore to satiate your reading thirst. Or even going to websites like Bookdepository.com (which has free worldwide shipping) or Amazon.com (where I like to get my books used a lot of the time) to get some great deals on books, especially if you're a broke college student like me and you end up spending most of your money on forms of nourishment and textbooks and what not.

Without further ado, here are the books currently in my possession and that I hope to read within the next month. Look for reviews on these in the coming month, too! (Clicking on the title will take you to the goodreads page and the summary for the book).

The Program - by Suzanne Young
I rented this young adult book from the library hoping to read it on my memorial day break (yay for four day weekends woo!) but didn't get a chance to start reading it until yesterday.  It's only just come out, and has a unique premise that I've never come across before. I just hope I can read it all and balance my oncoming onslaught of summer school homework before I have to return it to the library. I've heard very little about this book, what with it being so new, but so far it's really good and I'm quite enjoying it! Oh, and another thing: I've noticed that you get a lot of weird looks when reading a book with a bunch of black, orange, and yellow pills pictured on the back cover while waiting for class to start... Just sayin'.

Impulse - by Ellen Hopkins
I bought this one from the used bookstore, and after reading and being completely pulled in by Hopkins' infamous New York Times Bestseller, Crank, I wanted to see what other books she had to offer. I wasn't really mentally ready to read the sequel to Crank, which is Glass, with it being such a heavy topic (guess what! it involves more meth! A very light read, I'm sure). Don't get me wrong, I though Crank was an amazing, beautifully written book, but I thought I'd take a break and venture into a different subject matter such as mental health (much more cheery, I know. I'm a regular ol' ball of sunshine). And yeah, there is kind of a darker theme among my more recent reads, but I've just really been in the mood to read darker genre/themed books. You know how you'll get into a funk and want to eat Mexican food everyday or read a fluffy chick-lit book everyday, well I'm in a "darker book" themed funk right now. But hopefully that will change into a "classics" themed funk when I read the other book I got from the used bookstore, which is....


Tender is the Night - by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is another book I found stashed away and on a dusty shelf of the used bookstore I went to this week. I, like so many others, went to see The Great Gatsby in theaters the other week, and I've been bitten by the 20's era bug. This novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Fitzgerald's life, which from what I've heard is very intriguing as well as sort of on the sad side. I also would love to read more classics this summer, and that brings me to my next used bookstore find:

Sleeping Murder - by Agatha Christie
For the longest time, I've been addicted to PBS's Masterpiece Mystery series. It features mostly BBC productions such as Sherlock, as well as my favorites, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Agatha Christie is known as the queen of mystery, and has sold more mystery books than anyone else.  She's had loads of amazing crime thrillers published, this one being the last before her death, featuring Marple and Poirot, and sadly I have yet to read a single one. I know, it's blasphemous, especially since I claim to be a huge fan of hers when if fact I'm just a fan of the Masterpiece adaptations. Which is exactly why I bought one of her books, to see if I'll enjoy the books as much as I've loved the adaptations.

Northanger Abbey - by Jane Austen
One of my favorite movies is the 2005 adaptation of Austen's Pride and Prejudice (you know, the one with Keira Knightly), and sadly that is the only book by Austen that I've read. And thanks to my recent viewing of the movie The Jane Austen Book Club, I have Austen fever. The movie was amazing and heartfelt and now I just really want to dive into one of her books again. I loved P&P (as I so lovingly call it), and I'm probably the only one of my female bibliophilic friends who hasn't read all of Austen's works. It's weird, but I'm slightly ashamed by that fact. And I own the giant leatherbound Barnes & Noble book with all of Austen's novels in it, so it's not about whether I or not I have the books to start with. I just haven't been in the mood to read them, which is everything when it comes to choosing which book to read next.

I probably won't even end up sticking to this list verbatim for the next month, because as I just said, I've found that whatever mood you're in when you're in between books is usually the deciding factor as to which book you'll pick up next. So we'll see where the wind blows me this coming month.

I bid you all adieu and bon voyage on all of y'all's reading adventures! Hopefully you'll stick to your "To-Be-Read" pile a little better than I do. If you have any suggestions for what I should add to my TBR pile, let me know in the comments section below, and happy reading!

13 Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Pages: 288 (paperback)
Publication: June 2011
Summary: You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret. . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her. 

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town. . .

. . .and what he discovers changes his life forever.

My Thoughts: You know that theory called the butterfly effect? How everything you do and everything that happens, even the beating of a butterflies wings, has an effect on the future. Every gesture, glance, moment of eye contact, or seemingly innocent action can be a build up to one of these "13 Reasons Why" Hannah Baker killed herself, it seems.

Let me just tell you right now that I really enjoyed this novel. It completely lived up to the hype it's been given and even drove me to tears at one point. Hearing Hannah's account on a set of cassette tapes of how she started down the road of depression and who influenced her to start down that path in the first place was haunting, but I loved it. It wasn't just one event or person she encountered that made her say "Hey you know what, why live?" It was an accumulation of those people and interactions and events as well as having to live with her own increasingly suicidal thoughts. I felt like this part of the story was accurate on a lot of levels, too, and I'm sure a lot of other people who have struggled with depression can relate to Hannah Baker's tale.

And you feel so bad for Clay, our narrator, because he's received these cassettes as one of the "reasons why." He seems like such a nice guy and even he has no idea why he's on this list at the beginning. My heart broke for him. And he has to listen to these stories about people he sees on a day to day basis, learn their dirty secrets, and now he can't look at them the same way ever again.

This isn't to say that Hannah wasn't a flawed human being. No, she certainly is, and she acknowledges that, which makes you like her even more (I can't stand a Mary Sue, can you?). Clay is also flawed, although it may not seem like it in the beginning. But this novel doesn't end as a sob story. It's intention is to make you think about your actions towards others and how you treat them, in my opinion. It built up hope in me which is why I loved it.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Crank

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Pages: 537

Series: Crank (#1)
Summary: In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

My Thoughts: Ellen Hopkins brilliantly paints a story about a how a seemingly put-together, perfectly normal teenage girl became a meth addict. Hopkins' pacing and tone were amazing through out the entirety of her novel and her words haunted me. What's even more chill-inducing is that this story is loosely based on Hopkins' own daughter and her fight with and addiction to the "monster."

This was quite a serious (yet very quick) read and completely written in prose. Meth addiction is a terrifyingly brutal thing, and Hopkins brings this theme to fruition with enough graphic details to make you hope for better in people and their choices as well as steal you clear of the stuff. I had heard a lot of different reviews about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up enjoying this roller coaster of a ride that the author takes you on. Hopkins has completely pulled me in with her writing style and her words, so yeah I will definitely be reading the sequel to this novel, Glass.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars