Wake by Amanda Hocking

Gemma is about to into her junior year of high school and is working towards her goal of becoming an Olympic swimmer. Gemma's life is going great! She's dating an amazing guy, the boy-next-door, named Alex. Her swimming time keeps getting better and she's all around happy. In Gemma's town, summer has started and tourist season has begun. There are three mysterious but gorgeous girls are in town visiting and they give Gemma the creeps. These girls, Penn, Lexi, and Thea make Gemma nervous especially when they approach her. When the missing teenage boys are found in the woods completely ripped apart, Gemma starts to worry. It seems that Penn, Lexi andThea may look normal but Gemma quickly finds out that they're far from it.

This book was good. It moved painfully slow at times but that's the way first books in a series tend to go. Gemma and Harper are so close and their dynamic, in my opinion, is what makes this book especially good. In a few of the Goodreads reviews it is mentioned that they're not a fan of Gemma, the main character. They say she isn't too bright and is mostly bland. I don't totally agree with this opinion but I can sort of see where they're coming from. They also say that the story moves too slow. I agree with that, as I said before, it does move slowly but in my opinion it needed to. I think that the pace was necessary for you to know the information to make the story work. There were many other reviews, some good some bad as you can guess, but none of them are worth arguing.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys mythical sea creature books. This book has mermaids, adventure, some suspense, and even romance. 

Books this reminded me of:
-Siren by Kiera Cass
-Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
-The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kesler

Check it out!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Yes, I finally started reading Harry Potter series. I know this is book two but I didn't like book one, I couldn't finish it. It was too much like the movie which I've seen so many times. Although I didn't read it I was impressed with it's similarity in the part I did read.

I honestly feel like I don't need to explain what this book is about. There is so much hype around this wizarding world that if you haven't heard of Harry Potter then you've mastered a skill I wish I could have. In this book, Harry and his friends find out about a secret chamber created by one of the founders of Hogwarts that supposedly contains a beast so vicious it was impossible to defeat. This chamber can only be open by an heir of Slytherin, and no one knows who that is. Harry is worried that something bad is going to happen and knows he needs to try to stop it. 

Clearly there are many many reviews of this book, most of them being positive. I want to talk about the negative ones I've found. Most of them are just magic haters, don't really get into the magic 'thing', or it wasn't adult enough for them. All valid reasons. Others trash J.K. Rowling's writing and the way she goes about writing the book. I disagree but okay. Then there are the people who start to get too personal. They hate the characters, one specifically stated that she felt Harry shouldn't even be in the book at all and that he is so dull and predictable that it made the whole series "fall flat" in her mind. Wait what? 

I personally loved this book, but I can see how it may not be for everyone. So far I am in love with the characters and I can't wait to keep reading these books! If you're into magic, and fantasy you'll love these books. I especially recommend these books to middle schoolers. Being in high school and reading many different reading levels I can see that this book/parts I've read so far is definitely catered to younger kids in the difficulty levels. That being said, I know many adults who have loved it and have claimed that it made them feel like a kid again. So who really knows. 

The last thing I want to say is: don't let the coverage and media around this series decide whether you read them or not.

Books like this:
I'm not going to do this. I have honestly never read or heard of anything like this.

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Rapture by Lauren Kate

Luce and Daniel, as well as the others, only have a few days to find the site of the fall and stop Lucifer from deleting the past. All they have to do is follow the clues, get to the fall, and then Luce and Daniel have to make the same choice they chose years ago, again. 

This is the last book in the Fallen series and it is brilliant. So many questions are answered, so many 'oh my gosh' moments. This is one of those endings where there is no way you could have guessed it or have seen it coming. I turned the last page and was simply left in awe. There aren't many reviews at all of this book, I think all the angry reviewers finally gave up on this series which makes me glad. This book was wonderful.

I feel like every recommendation I've given for this series has been the same so I don't really know what to say about this one other than tell you that this book makes the series even better. It is the best ending and I am so glad it ended the way it did. If you've enjoyed this series so far you'll love this book and the end of Luce and Daniel's tale. 

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Passion by Lauren Kate

Luce stepped into an announcer, sending her through her past. No one would tell her about her life, out of fear or whatever it might be, she didn't care anymore she was going to find out for herself. Luce travels from life time to life time, going back as far as she can, learning as much as she can. Daniel and the others are chasing after her, trying to stop her from messing with the past. 

I have to say this was by far my favorite book in the series. I guess it comes down to me being Luce's number one fan. I love her, and this book makes me love her even more. In this book you get to see not only what she's like in other lives as she goes further and further into the past you also get to see how she learns from each lifetime. Many people found the time traveling confusing, and it is at first. You definitely need to pay close attention when reading it but I certainly didn't think it wrecked the book. I personally think that it must have been a hard thing to write. She goes further back then any of us could have lived through. It must have taken a lot of research and for that I commend Lauren Kate for. I couldn't imagine putting that much work into a book. 

I recommend this book to people who have loved the series so far. I always find it hard to recommend books that are in the middle of a series because really you should never start from the middle. If you're interested in this series book one is Fallen I have already written about it so you can find it under the Lauren Kate label. It's truly a great series and I recommend it to fantasy lovers.

Series like this:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

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Revelations by Sophia Sharp

Nora is now a vampire and although she's escaped the people hunting her for awhile she still has many more things to do. She's on the run and headed to find a magical cave with answers. Hunter and her meet some other vampires on their way to the same cave. A fight breaks out, Hunter says some mean things, and he leaves with one of the travelers they met up with. Now Nora is alone, with a stranger, Alexander, who has promised to stay with her.

I'll admit, this series still hasn't been the best I've ever read but I am one who can't help trying to figure out how a story ends. This book was better than the first one in my opinion. It was less a copy of Twilight and branched more to it's own story. It is still very similar to Twilight. For example, in New Moon Edward leaves Bella and she is left with Jacob. In this book, Hunter leaves Nora and all she has is Alexander. Many reviewers agree that this book was better than the first. I haven't decided if I want to hope it only gets better or just give up. I am curious about how it all ends and if it continues to resemble Twilight. 

I recommend this book to someone who loved Twilight and wants another story similar to it. It's also a quick short read but still interesting. If you didn't like Twilight and/or didn't like the first book in this series then don't read this book.

Books like this:
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Enchant Me by Anne Violet

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Spindle by Shannon Slayton

Briar Rose's life is far from a fantasy. She's raising her siblings by herself, she makes very little at the spinning mill and her wages keep getting cut. Her best friend, Henry Prince, has decided to go off on an adventure, leaving her by herself. While he's gone a mysterious peddler comes into town and sells her a new spindle, saying it has magical powers. Little does she know this spindle will bring her danger and possibly death.

I went into this book thinking it was a spin-off of Sleeping Beauty, without giving anything away from the book I can say that it's not. I'm not saying that that means I didn't like the book but it's not Sleeping Beauty. People had similar opinions about this, they expected Sleeping Beauty but that's not what they got. Other than that many people liked the book. I guess I finally read a book that other people liked just as much as me! :) 

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fairytales but also I need to warn you that this isn't your classic fairytale so don't get surprised when you start reading it. I think that you'll especially like this book if you like Sleeping Beauty. Although this is not another Sleeping Beauty story it does have aspects of it in it. 

Books like this!( with some help from our pal Goodreads)
Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan
Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher

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Torment by Lauren Kate

Book two in the Fallen series! After everything that happened at Sword & Cross Daniel sends Luce to a new school with higher security. She gets sent to a school in California, far away from her small town in Georgia, that caters specifically to people like her. Not only does Luce get pulled from her home and away from her family, who thinks that she's still enrolled at Sword & Cross, Daniel still can't be with her because it's dangerous. Luce does make new friends at her new school and also starts to learn more about her past selves and even more about her current self. 

This book wasn't my favorite in this series and let me tell you why. First of all, this book makes you kind of hate Daniel in my opinion. He's distant, refuses to tell Luce anything, and just overall feels blocked off. I'm not complaining, I really get why it had to be that way and I think that it really helped us learn more about Luce as a person. This book allowed you to see Luce without the veil and awe of Daniel. Like Fallen, there are a lot of low rating reviews on this book. Many people felt the same way I did about Daniel, but they let it ruin the book for them. Yes, Daniel and Luce fight and argue during most of this book but in my opinion, that's not what monopolizes the whole story. Basically, what I'm saying is that there's more to this book than Daniel being a jerk and Luce being a little whiny. 

I don't recommend this book to people that didn't like Fallen. I get it if you want to give it another chance, see if it gets better, or whatever reasoning you have about it. If you don't like the first one just stop with the series. Don't write mean, annoying reviews over and over again, if it's such torture than stop reading the books! There are millions of books out there, find one, read it, and move on. On the other hand, if you enjoyed Fallen like I did then please read this book. It's not the best but it keeps getting better. 

Other Books Like This Series:
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
Need by Carrie Jones

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Forsaken by Sophia Sharp

Forsaken is about a girl named Nora Colburn. She is your classic, plain-Jane, unnoticed high schooler. Until one day a new kid arrives and rumors about him a spreading fast. Her friend tells her that he was kicked out of all of his other schools and is trouble. On his first day Nora gets assigned to stay after school to catch him up in the class they share. As they get to know each other he shares a secret with her that blows her mind. What he shows her is an ancient secret that puts them both in danger.

This book is not very good. I enjoyed it enough but it was just very poorly written. Almost every review I've read about this book compares it to Twilight, seems to be a trend in my recent posts. However, unlike what I said in my review of Fallen, I completely agree with it. When a friend asked what it was about I basically told them that it was Twilight with different characters and a slightly different plot. Even though it's different the basic plot is the same. Twilight- Quiet, new girl drawn to mysterious guy, falls in love, a secret is shared, suddenly she's in danger. Forsaken- Shy girl drawn to mysterious and rumored to be dangerous new guy, falls in love, he tells her something he shouldn't, and bam she's in danger. Don't get me wrong, it's not THAT terrible, I still went onto the second book and it does marginally get better.

I recommend this to someone who liked Twilight and enjoys a quick read. I will admit you have to be understanding and patient to read this book, it moves slow in some places and then jumps in others.

Books like this (maybe better):
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer-clearly-
Dust by Sarah Daltry
Alias Dragonfly by Jane Singer

Go for it and check it out

Time Stoppers by Carrie Jones

Annie thought that she was just a normal girl with no parents stuck moving from foster family to foster family. Until one day she is put in an exceptionally awful home where she is told not to make noise and just stay out of the way. Jamie is about the same age as Annie and lives with his Grandmother and Father who are both terrible to him. One day Annie gets chased by a giant creature that seems to want to eat her, she is saved by one of the dogs at her new foster home. She is taken somewhere named Avalon, a home for magical creatures. I loved this book for so many reasons. It takes place where I'm from so it's relatable, and easier to imagine. Even though it's an easier level book the story is interesting enough to keep even adults interested. I recommend this book to middle schoolers who like adventure and magical creatures, and if you're older and want a good, quick, and easy read then you will probably like this book too. 

Other books like this!
Lost Children of the Far Islands by Emily Raabe
This is Not a Werewolf Story by Saundra Evans
A Sliver of Stardust by Marissa Burt

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Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

This is definitely a selection lover book. It is filled with wonderful short stories about Amberly, Maxon, Celeste, Aspen, Marlee and some other stories to add to the Selection. I loved this book because I just loved the whole Selection series and seeing behind the scenes of different characters and what happened afterwards. Like the Selection this book has many reviewers who either hate this book or love it. First of all, why would you read this book if you didn't like the selection series and then write a review complaining about how you didn't like it? Please don't read this book if you didn't like the Selection series. If you loved the Selection series, like me, you will also love this. This book gives you stories about Marlee, and Celeste as well as stories about what happened to everyone after the selection.

Books like this!
The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (obviously)

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Sirensong by Jenna Black

Dana’s life just can’t get back to normal which, with who her father is and her being a Faeriewalker, it's no surprise. Dana gets invited to Faerie by one of the queens but everyone is afraid it will be too dangerous, but if she were to not go it could put her in even more danger. So Dana, her father, Ethan, Kimber, Keene and some other guards as well as the queen's son, Prince Henry, all set of for the queen's palace in Faerie. It’s a rough journey through Faerie but they finally make it to find out that not everyone is who they say they are and then something goes completely wrong sending Dana running for her life. My favorite thing about this book is that you get to learn more about Faerie since it doesn't mainly take place in Avalon. In the first two books I was always curious about Faerie in general and what Dana would think of it. If you had any questions about Faerie this book helps answer them. To me Faerie reminds me of the City of Glass in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series. This book is definitely for the Fae lovers and anyone who enjoyed the first two books, it is a nice addition to the series.

More books like this series!
Need by Carrie Jones
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

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The Siren by Kiera Cass

Kahlan and her family get into a shipwreck and there is a point in time where she knows that it’s almost inevitable that they’re all going to die. Suddenly a voice in her head asks if she wants to live, and she says yes not knowing the strings attached to it. After agreeing to live, she is destined to become a siren that is bound by the ocean for hundreds of years. She isn't allowed to speak to anyone but other sirens, she moves from place to place with her other sister sirens. This book isn't a romance novel. There is romance in it but it is mainly filled with family, travel, and mystery. I recommend this to three type of people. One, lovers of Kiera Cass because if you loved her voice and writing in her other books you'll love this one. Two, if you like stories with ocean and mermaids. Three, you definitely should read this book if you like both of these things!

Books like this!
(haven't read too many books like this but goodreads recommends)
Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Lure by Stephanie Jenkins
Seven Tears Into the Sea by Terri Farley

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Until I Die by Amy Plum

Kate and Vincent can finally be together, with no threats, like they've wanted all along. But they soon realize that there is one thing that they can’t get around, and that's Vincent's fate. Kate can’t handle death all of the time after her own parents death, but that’s Vincent’s lifestyle, he is drawn to dying for other people. Another part of who Vincent is is that he's immortal, there's not much they can do to get around that; someday Kate will die and Vincent will still roam the earth for years later. Vincent promises Kate that he will try his best to live a normal life but then a new enemy arises. This is a classic "second book" but still just as captivating and thrilling as the first. This book does bring you deeper into the history and lore of the revenants.

Books like this!
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Dearly Beloved by Lia Habel

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City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Now that the Mortal War is over and Clary is back in New York, she is training to be a Shadowhunter and how to use her unique powers. There is now peace between Downworlders and Shadowhunters and Clary’s mother is finally going to marry Luke! Even Clary and Jace can finally start calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend! Everything is going well until someone starts mysteriously killing Shadowhunters and Jace starts pulling away from Clary. By now some people are a little tired of this story, it seems to be same old same old and I was like that too but I couldn't leave the characters just yet. If you like the characters in this series then why not just say what the heck and read this!

Check it out!

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult

Now that Oliver is in Delilah’s world he has somethings to get used to, things are a lot different in real life than in his book. Everything is going great until a message from the book pops out asking for help and Edgar's mom gets sick. Soon Delilah and Oliver realize there’s no way to keep him in her world, he has to go back. When Edgar finds out about his mom he wants to be with her. Edgar wants to be with his mom and Oliver wants to be with Delilah so they have to figure out another way. This book was so fun to read and I love love the story line. It was also way less predictable than the first book and totally still enjoyable! I recommend this to anyone who loved the first one and who absolutely loves fairytales. This is a story for the book lovers who have always wanted their characters to come to life.

Books like this!
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
Wicked by Gregory Maguire

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Endure by Carrie Jones

The battle of the pixies continues and is getting worse. Although Zara did rescue Nick nothing has changed. Nick is mad at Zara and she doesn't think she will ever earn back his trust. She has a lot of responsibilities now that she's not only a pixie but a pixie queen! Nick's recent feelings toward Zara has pushed her away and closer to Astly, she might even start having feelings for him. This book is definitely for Zara and Astly fans, they become closer and closer throughout this whole book. Most of the crappy reviews about it are just from haters of the series as a whole. I love this series and love this book! If you loved the rest of the series you'll totally love this book too.

Books like this!
Siren Song by Jenna Black
Arise by Tara Hudson

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Entice by Carrie Jones

Nick is gone, killed by some evil, mystical thing, and no where to be found. He gets taken right in the middle of a large pixie attack going on in Bedford. Pixies are taking students and more and more people have just disappeared. Zara knows she’s supposed to be with Nick, he's her soulmate, but in order to get him back she has to kiss Astley and become his pixie queen. Kissing him will turn her pixie making her stronger and it will also give Astley more power. Zara worries that even when they find Nick he won’t even want to be with her when he finds out what she’s done. No one hates pixies more than him. This book made me re-think who Zara should be with. Until this book I felt it was supposed to be her and Nick all the way but this book made me reconsider the possibility of her being with Astley. He clearly cares about her, more than just needing a queen, he spends the whole book helping her find Nick because he's who she cares about. I love this series so far and if you've been through book one and two you'll love this one too!

Books like this series!
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Evermore by Alyson Noel

Check it out!

Captivate by Carrie Jones

After Zara and her friends successfully locked up all of the pixies, including Zara's father, a new king comes to town. With the king locked up, losing his control he has over the other pixies, things are chaotic in Bedford. Then Astley comes into town. He is a lot younger that her father, the only other king she's met, and he intrigues Zara. Nick, being the protective boyfriend he is, of course hates Astley's presence and it causes friction between him and Zara. But soon Zara has no choice but to work with Astley to help control the pixies. The first half of this book is mostly just taking off from where Need left off and building Nick and Zara's relationship. This is definitely a must read for the series but as many reviews do say, it's a boring book compared to the first one. If you loved Need this is a book you should push through to get through the rest of the series!

Books like this!
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Check it out!

Need by Carrie Jones

 Zara is obsessed with phobias, that’s her thing. She feels that if you know the name to something it’s not as scary. When she moved to Maine to be with her grandmother she saw someone that she thought she saw back at her old house. She tries to convince herself it's all in her head but she can’t prevent the feeling that she is being stalked. She soon finds out that this man stalking her isn’t human and that she's not the only one who can see him, he leaves behind a strange gold dust and his footprints just stop like he's disappeared. This book is filled with magic, and adventure. I recommend this book to anyone who liked Glimmerglass by Jenna Black or just anyone who likes a good mystical story. Now there are a lot of thumbs down reviews on this book and they all make okay points. Many reviews compare the beginning of this book to Twilight, awkward girl, bad family situation, whatever. I was a Twilight fan just like any other teenage girl but I honestly disagree with this. There's not enough resemblance to Twilight to not read this amazing book because of that. This book is well written and completely worth the read.

Books like this!
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Check it out!

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol

Everyone must have heard of the girl named Alice who was just a curious little girl who fell down a rabbit hole, but if you haven't then this is a must read classic! Alice falls down a magical rabbit hole into a whole different world filled with mad people, crazy cats, and a tyrant queen. This book is great for all ages, young and old; read it to your kids, or siblings, read it to yourself! It's completely worth the adventure.

Check it out!