Skellig By David Almond (3/5)

“Michael steps into the crumbling garage... What is this thing beneath the spiders' webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never seen before? The only person Michael can confide in is Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael's world changes forever.”

My favourite part of Skellig isn't actually one involving the title character. I loved the realism of watching Michael and his parents attempt to live their everyday lives whilst every moment is weighed down with their worry that their new baby won't survive. His parents were such believable characters. I could feel their stress and fear and their determination to believe the best and get on with everyday tasks. I felt as if I was reading a real life account of a family worrying about the life of their premature baby, this managed to create an intense atmosphere that continued through out the book. The baby's delicate state is nicely mirrored in the vulnerability of the baby birds that Michael’s new friend Mina is watching carefully in her garden. The birds qualities are then reflected in the angelic character of Skellig. I liked the sense that all of the characters in the book were connected, almost in a cycle. David Almond's writing is very down to earth and the world he creates feels familiar. I feel like I can relate to his characters and see people from my own childhood in them. The whole thing is just so real and the setting of the book feels like being reminded of an old friend who I had previously forgotten.

Even the character of Skellig who is heavily hinted to be a supernatural creature, an Angel, is portrayed as very human in his interactions, moods and attitude. He craves dark ale and Chinese food and has lost all of his optimism and enthusiasm for existence. It takes two very kind and open minded children to show him that life can be quite a beautiful and worthy thing.

Kiss Me Deadly Anthology By Trisha Telep (3/5)

I was left feeling generally underwhelmed by this anthology, I'm fairly sure the only reason I was able to finish it was because it was a compilation of short stories and I didn't feel like it was too much to get through. A couple of the stories had redeeming features that made me like them, but not enough to save my opinion on the entire book. I enjoyed Telep's previous Anthology, The Eternal Kiss, a lot more than this one.

The Assassin's Apprentice By Michelle Zink (2.5/5)
I enjoyed the idea of a young girl trying to get revenge for her dead family and it being somebody else's responsibility to keep her safe. That said the love story was far too fast paced, unbelievable and felt very forced indeed. I suppose that's a hazard of having a lot of short stories revolve around love, authors are forced to rush. I just really didn't buy this one.

Errant By Diana Peterfreund (3.5/5)
An enjoyable story. I liked the growing bond between the two girls, and enjoyed the development of the character of Elise, as she realised that she had a natural born talent with the unicorn and a stubborn streak that would help her to acquire the strength to own her own land.

The Spirit Jar By Karen Mahoney (3/5)
I enjoyed the characterisation in this story, and I was very eager to read more about Moth, since I loved the last short story that I read that had included her. I feel that this story suffered from the short length of it, and some parts felt rushed. I enjoyed the fight between her and Adam quite a lot but felt like the conclusion to the story was a little bit lack lustre.

Lost By Justine Musk (2.5/5)
Something about this story didn't sit quite right with me. I liked the idea that Sasha had her own personal power to find, but I still felt that she was taken advantage of in this story and shouldn't have had to end it as she had. I don't think she was given enough to justify the decision she made in the end.

The Spy Who Never Grew Up By Sarah Rees Brennan (4/5)
I love Sarah's humour. She never fails to entertain me. I'm not really a fan of Peter Pan but I did love his characterisation in this story. The idea of his immaturity and fear of growing up extending into outfit selfishness I really enjoyed. The idea that the heroine of the story is the great-great-great grand daughter of Wendy was a fabulous concept, and I love that she has been pre warned against his tricks and comes out fighting with pepper spray. Also, Ninja Fairies *beams* No. Really. This is why I adore this author so.

Dungeons of Langeais By Becca Fitzpatrick (2.5/5)
This story kept me gripped, I enjoyed the pace and the style of it. Unfortunately it didn't seem to manage to make me care, and it seemed to be lacking a certain something. I did like the casual cruelty that the characters exposed one another to though.

Behind The Red Door By Caitlin Kittredge (3/5)
The setting to this story was rather elaborate and surprisingly detailed, considering it was a short story. I did actually really enjoy the “love” story in this short. She started out terrified by a ghost on a dare and then ends up slowly being taken in by him. Her descent and loss of control is quite scary to witness, as are the facts she manages to unearth about her beloved. Though the ending didn't pack as much of a punch as I would have liked it to.

Hare Moon By Carrie Ryan (2.5/5)
Much like The Forest of Hands and Teeth this story had a great setting, a claustrophobic atmosphere and made you see it all so clearly. Though just like the mentioned novel it makes you care for characters and then strips them of every nice thing they could ever achieve or own. I don't know what she has against happiness, but I really do feel badly for any character she puts in her books, they are not going to be rewarded with a satisfying ending. : (

Familiar By Michelle Rowen (2.5/5)
I really liked the character of Brenda, I liked the fact that she was scared of failing so just didn't try and I enjoyed the world that was created in this short story. That being said the love story was predictable and uneventful and the “hero” of the piece was so generic *insert usual 'attractive' guy here* Brenda should have kept the little cute kitten and been happy with him. : )

Fearless By Rachel Vincent (2.5/5)
I enjoyed the style of the story and the character of Sabine. She refused to be weak and always came out fighting, which I admired. Though the scenes where she had to feed as a Mara were quite terrifying. O_o I liked Nash being the love interest, though I felt we were told that she loved him more than shown it. The mystery after that was quite uneventful, which is why this story got it's lower score.

Vermillion (2/5)
Eh. I thought the world that was set up was very interesting and I would have liked to have explored it further, though I wasn't given the chance. I generally found Velvet and Nick uninteresting and I disliked the fact that the Character of Amie was only put in there to be hated, also her vendetta didn't actually make any sense to me. It was as if we were supposed to accept it because she was clearly “a hysterical woman” Whatever.

The Hounds of Ulster By Maggie Stiefvater (4/5)
I really enjoyed this story. I love it when Maggie writes about Irish Folk music, because you can tell she really knows her stuff. I found the fragile friendship between Bryant and Sullivan quite endearing and I felt sorry for Bryant when Sullivan began to be seduced by the faerie world. Nobody likes to be left alone. I also adore stories that take what you know and turn it upside down, forcing you to re envision everything you thought you knew about the story. Maggie's story does this and more. The twist at the end is enough to drop your jaw and it made me feel a little ashamed for my assumption. The mark of a good writer. Go Maggie! : )

Many Happy Returns By Daniel Waters (3.5/5)
A well written little story that follows the story of a father waiting to see if the daughter he loves will return from the dead, as some teens do. Not in a terrifying Zombie way, more in a resigned to a less than full life way. I felt for Cal as he was waiting to see if he would ever get to see his daughter again and I really felt for Jake. The effective Zombie Boyfriend waiting to see if his beloved would join him and abandoned by his superstitious parents. Quite a sad little tale, with enough hope to make it not truly upsetting.

So, I'd say there were a couple of stories that were definitely worth reading, but they couldn't really save the entire anthology in my opinion. I am probably extremely biased since both Maggie Stiefvater and Sarah Rees Brennan are favourite writers of mine, but theirs were the stories that stood out to me the most.

Beastly By Alex Flinn (3/5)

I read this book rather quickly, whilst on holiday, which to me classifies it as an 'easy read'. I am in two minds about it however. I am an eternal fan of Beauty & The Beast, and yes I'm referring to the Disney film. I was raised on it, my entire morality was pretty much shaped as a result of this film, so I was quite curious how this modern adaptation would fare. I was especially tempted by the fact that it was from The Beast's point of view. The book started out with Kyle, who was simply an arse. He was extremely realistic in this way, his bullying was quite subtle and cruel, his self confidence a result of a lifetime of being treated as if he was elite. His character was three dimensional in this way and it made him seem more than your typical 'bully', especially in a book set in a high school environment. The loss of his looks, his 'friends', his girlfriend, his status all made his character develop in a way that was entertaining to read, and the plot continued at a nice pace, it didn't seem to drag at any point. For me the greatest turning point in his personality was when he realised that the people who were working for him, and who his previous self would have sneered at, were actually the closest friends he had ever had. The relationship between him and his live in staff was, to me, rather sweet and endearing. I can't really fault the development of his character in this area, and my only criticism was that the two years went by too fast, and I would have enjoyed to experience more of his life during this time. I feel like the successful development of Kyle's personality and his relationship with his new friends carried the novel for me, as I found other sections a little unrealistic or unexplained.

The one problem I did have with this novel was that the love story felt a little forced. I did like that it felt forced from Kyle/ Adrian's side, since he is aware that he only has a very slim chance of breaking the curse and would throw his whole self in no matter who was on the other side. Linda however, I found a little 'meh'. She did nothing for me, she had very little personality, and what she did have was general and uneventful. I think the story lacked her point of view, we have no idea why she decided to fall for 'Adrian', except for the fact that she is deep enough to look beyond appearances. To me love is a lot more complicated than that, and a number of factors result in someone falling in love, I think I would have liked to have seen some of those factors in this story. I would have liked Linda to have been more three dimensional, to maybe have more of an attitude when she is imprisoned against her will. She just seemed to be an after thought of a character. I also didn't enjoy the fact that during her separation from Adrian the explanation for her lack of contact was losing an address and being unable to find him. This seemed like a little bit simple for me, and I didn't like the damsel in distress aspect to her character either. The one part of her story I did enjoy was her relationship with her father. Having him give her away as an attempt to escape a jail sentence and continue to use drugs was a very smart idea of the author. It was a realistic way to write a type of parent who would willingly sacrifice their child. Using the justification of a drug addict was a clever method, in my opinion. Another part of the story I was dissatisfied with was the character of Kendra, I found her to lack depth and some parts of her personality were entirely unexplored. On top of that at times she seemed to stretch almost to the point of becoming a cliché. I enjoyed her at the beginning of the book but towards the end she became more unrealistic and a little dull.

In general I enjoyed the book, but only because the development of the main character was enough to compensate for the flaws found elsewhere. I enjoyed sharing Kyle's story and it was a good job that this part was written so well, or else I may have lost interest.

The Forest of Hands & Teeth By Carrie Ryan (3/5)

Loved most of the book and yet I was really frustrated with the ending. I did like the character of Mary, but the ending made me quite scared of her. I knew she wanted the ocean, but her friends are starving to death in the fences... O_o

I thought the book was wrote really well until the last 20 or so pages though. I loved the action, I felt it. My heart was in my throat for a lot of it. The book absorbed me and made me jump in anxiety, I also sobbed like a baby. I read the book in a day and have thought about it pretty much whenever I wasn't reading it. I felt the emotion so much that I felt like I was in the world with the characters.

It was probably for this reason that I didn't like the ending so much. It all felt a little pointless. This immense, emotional struggle I had watched characters I had come to love, go through seemed to be for very little. And I seemed to get very few answers and even less of a conclusion. If there will be a sequel then this does make some sense, but I still would have liked to put the book down with a little sense of finality, if only for a short while.

I also loved the development between Mary and Travis and yet this also just seems to dwindle without THAT much of an explanation as to why. I felt that their romance was real and yet I stopped believing in it eventually for what felt like no good reason.

A mixed review I suppose. I did truly become absorbed with this book, did fall into it and obsess about reading it at every opportunity. I suppose that could be why I am slightly disappointed in the ending.

Currently Reading: Beautiful Creatures By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle By L J Smith (3/5)

Hmm. It read a little like a point horror book. But I guess that might be common in 90's fiction. The romance was a little odd to relate to, but I actually liked the characters. I like that Elena wasn't relatable, i'm a bit sick of the whole "Mary Sue Girl Next Door Sweet Innocent Best Friend" character. Elena was selfish, strong and beautiful. I found it refreshing to read such a dynamic and unique character, even if I found myself unable to sympathise with her.

I loved Stefan & Damon, I loved their relationship and how they approached seducing Elena differently. I liked how the love triangle worked, and how it showed that you could be attracted to someone, or what they represent, even if you think they are an awful person.

In comparison with the TV show, i've got to think that I enjoy the show more than the book. Which is new for me. I like Elena a lot more as they have wrote her, and the increased depth in the plot, and the other character's stories. But this Elena was a refreshing change from the usual heroines!

Currently Reading: Beautiful Creatures By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl