Review: The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes

The Jumbee
By Pamela Keyes
Published October 4th, 2010
Published by Dial
Hardcover, 400pages

When Esti Legard starts theater school on Cariba, she's determined to step out of the shadow of her late father, a famous Shakespearean actor. But on an island rife with superstition, Esti can't escape the darkness. In the black of the theater, an alluring phantom voice-known only as Alan-becomes her brilliant drama tutor, while in the light of day Esti struggles to resist her magnetic attraction to Rafe, the local bad boy. Toppled sets, frightening rumors of jumbee ghosts, and brewing tropical storms culminate in a tantalizingly spooky finale where romance sizzles and truths are unmasked. Laced with eerie mystery and the lush scenery of the West Indies, this modern Phantom is perfect for readers who like their love stories served with spine-tingling suspense. -Goodreads

Review

I absolutely loved this book.  It is a mysterious and suspenseful book that will engross you. Also, you don't have to know the Phantom of the Opera story to read this book (although knowing the Phantom of the Opera would certainly increase your understanding and enjoyment). Also, if you are a Shakespearean fan then I would definitely give this book a try. With that said, you also don't have to know Shakespeare well to enjoy this book.



Esti was great. She had always grown up in the shadow of her famous father, an was always compared to him, which is frankly terrible and totally relate-able to. I pity her in that, but I love how she gains confidence in her acting ability (with Alan's help) and becomes an amazing Juliette. She really blossoms as an actress. Speaking of Alan, I found their relationship slightly annoying. She would forgive him for anything, and totally trusted him when the only time she talked to him was in the dark. I found that slightly creepy and not believable, I doubt that anyone would fall in love with a voice in the dark that only they hear. 

 In the end I quite pitied Alan. I understood why he would go to such means to conceal himself and try to win / keep Esti's love. He is such a lonely person who did't dare dream of love until Esti came along. At times he was scary, but I knew that underneath he was a good person who would never hurt Esti, and only tried to do the best by her.


Personally, Rafe was my favorite character. Although he was a total bad boy when Esti met him again after ten years, he's really a committed, loyal, and sweet guy that just needs to find the right girl to be with. He would defend Esti against anyone, and would do almost anything for her. His machoism is also quite adorable. Not only is he a great guy and boyfriend, but he is (obviously) very hot. The flirting between Esti and Rafe were some of my favorite parts (I loved their easy banter).

The Caribbean setting was wonderful, it really made this book come alive in a new way and made it very romantic. Many of the beliefs in the Caribbean are incorporated. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery, you are kept guessing 'till the very end (it keeps you on your toes and constantly flipping pages for more), and anyone who likes the Phantom of the Opera or Shakespeare. If you unfamiliar with either of them, don't let that dissuade you from reading this amazingly suspenseful and magical book. 

Purchase this book at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily
By Jodi Lynn Anderson
Published July 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up. -Goodreads

Review

At first, I was only vaguely interested in reading this book. It was only until I saw it on a library shelf that I decided to try it, going in without high expectations. However, Tiger Lily far exceeded my expectations. It turned out to be such a wonderful story of a girl who is so brave and strong on the outside, but has so many doubts and fears that she can't express, not even when she falls in love for the first time. It is so much more than just a retelling of the well known story of Peter Pan, it is Tiger Lily's story, one about love, loss, and loneliness.

In the story of Peter Pan, Neverland is seen as a magical place where good will always triumph over evil. That is not the case in Tiger Lily's Neverland, and through Tinker Bell's view point the readers can catch a glimpse of an entirely different world other than the Disney fairytale setting. The story is a brilliant mix of the Peter Pan that I know and grew up with and a whole new story that makes you question everything from the original fairytale and see it in a different light. In this Neverland, there is a deeper and darker side, where good doesn't always win and love doesn't always carry the day. 


From the outset, Tiger Lily has always been different from the rest of her tribe. She is bold, fearless, an amazing huntress and tracker, and doesn't fit into the mold of what her tribe expects her to be. She has always had to deal with that loneliness and the feeling of being an outsider. She manages with all her problems by shoving them deep down inside of her where they will never show. Not only that, but it is very hard for her to communicate and show her feelings and break through her outward mask of being uncaring and cool. I feel such pity and empathy towards her. 
  
By the end I was very disappointed with Peter. I knew that he would leave Neverland with Wendy, but I still didn't want it to happen. I will always root for Tiger Lily, though I think that the ending was the best it could possibly be (after all Peter and Tiger Lily can't end up together as it's not in the original story). They are such a good match, and are so similar. I also feel that  in the end Peter betrayed himself. He ended up growing old and living a life of comfort and security when before he was so adventurous and fearless and didn't think it was possible to grow old. 

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was beautiful, and flowed from one thing to the next. Neverland became a real and magical place, and the characters had such a deeper meaning to them than in the original story of Peter Pan. Tiger Lily is such a poignant tale of first love and how confusing and cruel life can be. The ending was so sad I cried (a lot) and was so bittersweet. In my heart I knew what would happen but I couldn't help but want Tiger Lily to finally get the guy. However sad the ending was it was also satisfying, and it made the story complete. I guess it's like life, there isn't always a happy ending. 

Purchase this book at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Glitch (Glitch #1)

By Heather Anastasiu

Published August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Paperback, 308 pages

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy. -Goodreads

3.5 Stars

Review

Glitch started out and seemed to be a promising read, but it was sort of disappointing. It was one of those books that lost its potential.


Okay, on to the main character, Zoe. She begins the novel with her V-chip (I never understood exactly what it was) glitching, causing her to feel emotions. She is, understandably, very confused,  because she has never felt emotions before and she doesn't know what to do and is all alone. With that said, I found her ability to comprehend emotions varied, sometimes she wouldn't at all get some emotions while somehow being able to pick other emotions up very quickly, like her insta love for Adrien (I will get to him later). What also annoyed me was how she didn't really even use her  power until it was suggested by someone else, you think if you had an awesome new power you would experiment with it a bit.


I think my biggest issue was with the romance. Normally, I don't mind love triangles too much, but this one wasn't even a love triangle, it was very obvious that Max was just thrown in there, and that Zoe would never end up with him. Also, Max is a possessive and creepy person, basically only wanting Zoe for a physical relationship. I understand that Zoe wouldn't know what to do with Max and wouldn't want to hurt his feelings, but she doesn't have any romantic feelings for him and he just keeps pushing himself on her. I get it, but really, come on. JUST PUSH HIM AWAY. My theory about Max is that Anastasiu, the author, intentionally made him an extremely dislikable person so he could then become a villain.

The other love interest is Adrien. Insta love between them? Yes *groan*. Besides the immediate connection/love he and Zoe share (which is slightly more understandable as Adrien already knows about Zoe from his visions, therefore could fall in love with her quicker) he is an average character. It is insta love, yet not, because of an unfortunate event, Adrien does have to start over and work for Zoe's love. Except his weird swearing did annoy me at first, but I eventually got used to it.



The writing was okay, nothing much to day about it. So all in all, I will probably go on to read the sequel if only to find out what happens (stinky cliff hangers), and I hope the sequel might redeem Glitch.

Purchase at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel (Crewel World #1)
By Gennifer Albin
Published October 16th, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Hardcover, 368 pages

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.

Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it. - Goodreads

Review

Wow. I went into this book intrigued, weaving reality, huh. Although you might think that this is a typical dystopian novel (and in some ways it is), but it is so different and original. I love it!! Don't worry, if you aren't a fan of dystopians, this could still be the book for you, as it is way above the pack.

First, similarities to other dystopian novels. Yes, this happens in the future, where there was some ginormous war to end all wars, resulting in the current society. Everything is strictly controlled by the government, including your job, your spouse, how many kids you can have, and where you're allowed. From then on it gets interesting.

 Adelice is the main character, someone who was brought up to hide her ability to weave reality, the very fabric of the world, so that she wouldn't be taken away to become a Spinster. She is different from most girls because everyone greatly desires to be a Spinster, only seeing the glamorous side to it. She isn't one of those really badass heroines, but sometimes that's ok. She is flawed, but that makes her seem more normal, and she goes through great character growth as she tries to understand this new world she was suddenly thrown into when she became a Spinster. Her character is very realistic, and is easy to sympathize with.

I give you warning, this book has a love triangle. Yes, the atypical love triangle. If you for one are someone who is tired of this, then turn back now. Although the book isn't solely focused on the romance, it is a sizeable part.  However, the romance does add more to the plot.


I, personally, am someone who likes world building right at the beginning, however Albin's style is to give you it to you piece by piece, so you really have to pay attention. By the end of the book I didn't mind, by slowly giving bits and pieces of information, I actually think it made me more responsive and absorbed. The more that is revealed, the more interested I become, to the point where I cannot fathom more, and yet it comes. My mind was blown by the end.The world that Crewel is set in, Arras, is complex and futuristic. Everything is well described, and is beautifully written. 


I would highly recommend Crewel, it is over flowing with creativity and a wondrous world for you to imagine. The writing is impeccable, adding to the brilliance of Arras and all of the characters there. The ending is a major cliffhanger, leading to so many different possibilities for the series, making me die from anticipation. I will have to wait. 

Purchase this book at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) by Kiersten WhitePublished: July 26, 2011 by HarperTeenHardcover, 336 pages

Add Me on GoodReads!

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees. 

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. 

The prize in question? Evie herself. 
So much for normal. 

--GoodReads.

2 Stars

Review

What? 2 Stars? Why, yes, fellow reader. TWO stars. Why, you may ask? Why only TWO stars when the Paranormalcy is obviously a super amazingly awesome series that I've been hearing about from other people? Well, it's because I was quite disappointed. Seriously. All my hopes and dreams from White's stunning first peek of Evie's life in the Paranormalcy trilogy were crushed as I advanced through this book. Actually, I had been quite hesitant to continue with this trilogy because I have this thing that whenever I find a really GREAT series, I don't want to continue reading the sequels in fear that my perspective/view of the book/author would change. Has that ever happened to you? I feel like that's partially why I refuse to read Iron Knight, the 4th (FULL) book in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Don't get me wrong; I love Kiersten White's writing style. In fact, I WORSHIP her writing. It's easy to get through and I definitely don't have ANY trouble NOT putting down any book of hers. I'm not kidding. I was hooked onto White's hilarious, modern teenager Evie's point of view, even though it lacked:

A) a honest to goodness plot 

B) decent characters 

C) a "so-what?" factor.

Now, I shall start with point A. There's really not much to give away in the book; it basically followed Evie's life as she obsessed over her water spirit of a boyfriend Lend and talked about how she LOVED him so much that she was JEALOUS that he could would LIVE FOREVER and that she wasn't doing anything wrong when she decided NOT TO TELL HIM THE TRUTH after promising to share everything and tell no lies right to his face. Wow, Evie, WOW. Evie yearns for a normal life after being cooped up in a paranormal agency all 17-18 years of her life and gains this little pleasure. After about 1-2 months of this, Evie beings to complain about the BORINGNESS (for once, Evie is correct) of school, and displays real attitude to her snarky gym teacher. She has no friends and dedicates her entire being, or really, lack of being (she is an Empty One, remember now, kiddies) to her BF Lend-y (the water) boy *cue hearts and flowers and fields of daisies.* That's really not quite a healthy lifestyle. Not only that, but Evie is quite irresponsible and is blinded to the fact that there will be only ONE FUTURE for her and that is attending Georgetown, making Lend's babies, living the rest of (her) life with him (he's immortal, dur) and making more kissy face. She doesn't even consider ONCE that she might not get in. Well, for being such a "mature" teenager that is much more "educated" about life (namely paranormals) than other normal kids, why didn't you effin plan your life out or apply to back-up colleges JUST IN CASE?

Not only that, but the real plot actually continues in a rush. It's almost as if White finally, finally woke up from her sleep writing and finished the book in the last 30 pages! Heck, there's little to no plot and she even accepts a request from IPCA, a paranormalcy agency that Evie worked for and fought to ESCAPE from in the first book, to RETURN back to the place she STARTED. What? WHAT THE HECK WAS THE POINT OF THE FIRST BOOK THEN?!? 

Oh, Evie. You're not just an Empty One in the Soul. You are also an Empty One in the Head. *SIGH*. 

The first 300 pages doesn't even really lead up to much of a climax in the last 30 pages. I could correctly predict what was to happen next and wasn't at all shocked. Well, I suppose being an avid NCIS watcher may help in these situations, but seriously. What a disappointment. 

B) LACK OF DECENT CHARACTERS- SEE ABOVE AT EVIE RANT.

C) "So what?" factor - So Evie does this. So Evie does that. She learns about 2-3 pieces of important information. MAXIMUM. So what? Where is this leading? Where could you possibly be leading me now, White? Your stories are like your Faerie Paths. I can't get out of them without you to guide me. Please tell me reading Supernaturally led up to SOMETHING important for your third book, Endlessly. And please let it be kind of decent! I really don't know what to expect anymore....

...............................

Time lapse: 1 hour

...............................

Okay, okay. So maybe I'm being a little bit harsh. Well, who wouldn't be? I had expected so much, and White's lack of a plot really brought down the quality of her writing. I started to hate Evie, a character I so much admired during Paranormalcy! Evie's constant whining about life, and blindness to what was going around her really pissed me off. I certainly hope White's writing improves in her third book Endlessly if I ever read it.

Purchase here at: Amazon/ Barnes&Noble/ Book Depository

Review: Black Moon by Jessica McQuay

Black Moon 

By Jessica McQuay

Published: October 2012

Publisher: Cambridge Press

Paperback, 240 pages

Thanks to the amazing author Jessica McQuay for providing us with a e-copy of this book to review!

"Am I losing my mind?"

Paige couldn't help but question her sanity. What other explanation could there be for her hearing a conversation held barely above a whisper in the back of a classroom full of students? What about coming home to find one of those very classmates lying in wait in the darkness of her home, ready to attack her?

Confused, frustrated and feeling every ounce of her social ostracism, Paige confides in the one person she's always been able to count on: her mom. But when her mom reveals a deeply rooted, unbelievable family secret, Paige discovers her world is filled with more than she ever imagined possible. A world where fairytales live alongside nightmares and secrets are the glue that binds them together. Suddenly no one is who they seem and Paige is faced with more questions than answers. Can she survive in a world filled with creatures scarier than anything she could imagine and where deceit runs as thick as blood? Or will the truth send her over the edge? --GoodReads

OK, I'm gonna try something new today. As I read the book, I'm going to leave my impressions of what's happening in the book. By the way, I'm reading this in a PDF format that doesn't actually match up with the pages of the paperback novel I was "reading" on GoodReads.  

Silly Face! Get it? "Impressions?" No? Okay...

Reading Commentary by Rosie

11/08	page 240		100.0%	"This book easily shattered and surpassed tenfold all my expectations of this book! I'm so glad to have read this book while chatting up a storm with the author herself, Jessica McQuay! Thanks Jessica for giving us this wonderful oppurtunity!"
11/08	page 240		100.0%	"Happy with how the book ends. It's not rushed, and most things are reasonably resolved."
11/08	page 233		97.0%	"LOL. Favorite part is here: "I stared up at her, unable to speak, the shock making it hard to find words. 'You, called my MOM?' I couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe her. 'Naialah, I don't believe this. How COULD you?'""
11/08	page 233		97.0%	"Epicness is happening right now."
11/08	page 229		95.0%	"NEED to know what Naialah is!"
11/08	page 225		93.0%	"Rachel is a tsundere!"
11/08	page 220		91.0%	"Dear gawd, Rachel is getting on my nerves. There's gotta be a reason to her charades. What makes her tick..."
11/08	page 214		89.0%	"JUST realized that the version I'm reading from has more pages than the paperback one includes.... so when it says I'm 89% done, I'm probably only about 70%...."
11/08	page 214		89.0%	"Naialah is the best! :)"
11/08	page 208		86.0%	"IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW. MY LIFE IS COMPLETE."
11/08	page 208		86.0%	"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Noooo wayyyyyyyyyyyy......."
11/08	page 208		86.0%	"So many twists and turns! I'm loving this!"
11/08	page 201		83.0%	"So many twists and turns! I'm loving this!"
11/08	page 190		79.0%	"And all the secrets are being revealed..."
11/08	page 163		67.0%	"Oh, one more thing. I feel like the writing style has definitely changed (matured?)from the beginning. I like it a lot more than what it was."
11/08	page 163		67.0%	"Her outfit sounds really pretty! Lots of silky, cottony fluff and boots to die for."
11/08	page 150		62.0%	"GO PAIGE!"
11/08	page 130		54.0%	"Yay! It's getting better!"
11/08	page 116		48.0%	"I'm a little frustated with the way the style is written in. I feel like Paige is constricted to a set/a list of vocabulary and it all seems very repetitive."
11/08	page 113		47.0%	"I'm thinking this book could probably be considered as Middle Grade. Nothing gory so far."
11/08	page 108		45.0%	"I would not wanna be part of the stressful royalty life, no matter how posh or rich it is. It's just too plain stressful!"
11/08	page 80		33.0%	"Stuff is picking up the pace!"
11/08	page 47		19.0%	"Gooooo Paige! Way to use your head!"
11/08	page 30		12.0%	"I've decided. I really like Paige's mom. You rock, fae mother of Paige!"
11/08	page 27		11.0%	"I take back what I said 2 statuses earlier...."
11/08	page 27		11.0%	"Wait a minute....."
11/08	page 27		11.0%	"OK, OK. How is Paige able to accept all of this new information without doubting it a bit? Because the story is moving so fast, I expect lots of stuff is going to happen from here on out...."
11/08	page 22		9.0%	"Ermergod. What. The.... The pace of this book is quite fast."
11/08	page 20		8.0%	"Now I want spaghetti!"
11/08	page 17		7.0%	"STALKER"
11/08	page 17		7.0%	"Plot twist! I sort of expected that to happen, though."
11/08	page 15		6.0%	"Chapter 2! Whoot whoot!"
11/08	page 12		5.0%	"LOVIN' THE ACTION."
11/08	page 11		4.0%	"Oi, looks like she's in the denial stage of "receiving an other worldly power" of YA books."
11/08	page 10		4.0%	"Characters are a bit highschool cliche stereotypical...we shall see how this goes! But I'm liking the main character....so far."
11/08	page 6		2.0%	"It looks okay so far."

Four stars along with and an invisible quarter star

Review

Okay, I'm going to cheat our usual rating system here. I'm going to give this book 4.25 stars.  You can imagine the missing 1/4 star. :) I'm going to be reviewing the Cover Art, Plot, Style, Characters, Personal Pet-Peeves, or PPPs, if you will, and Overall opinions.

Cover Art: Definitely an interesting choice for a cover. It's neither beautiful, nor gory, nor depressing. It's beguiling and alluring. The woman is beckoning potential readers to come over and find out her secrets. After reading the book, I'm honestly quite glad the author didn't go with some frilly-fluffy-bubbly-a-unicorn-threw-up-on-it-cover, as it seems most YA novels about faeries/fairies are. I'll give 4 (out of five) thumbs up for this cover!

Plot/Style: I don't think the plot summary of Black Moon does the book enough justice. I was truly quite skeptical when first going in, but, as I found out later, that I was quite wrong. I feel like the summary of the book gives off the wrong vibe. Not a bad vibe, just different from what I experienced while reading the book. I feel that the style of the book was quite varying. There was a lot of action, emotion, and learning about trusting one another/friendship. If you're looking for romance, this book ain't for you. There are maybe a total of 3-4 pages talking about romance that doesn't even involve Paige, the main character.

The plot of Black Moon definitely contains many plot twists and turns that make the story ten-fold better. While things might not make sense in the beginning, all will be revealed in the end. After reaching the end, I had encountered quite a few of those "Ah-ha!" moments.  Out of personal experience, it's extremely hard to write a novel that has just the right pace, interesting sensory details, and lovable characters, and still keep a satisfying ending. Jessica Mcquay is skillful in incorporating ah-ha moments without boring you to death in the process, as well as creating a whole new world that I can easily imagine. (Man, what I'd kill to become a Paige Tailor.)

The type of narration of Black Moon is written in first person, with Paige as the main POV, and sometimes switching off to Cail or Rachel. One last point: I was extremely happy with how the book ended. It wasn't rushed, and it wasn't forced. It was natural, and flowed right out of the heart. (cheesy, I know) Mostly everything is resolved and it reaches a satisfying conclusion. It's really hard to find a decent YA ending, but this book definitely has one.

Characters:
(Paige, Niahlah, Rachel)

Paige: The story revolves around a 17 year old senior, Paige Tailor, who is a geeky, quiet, A+ student. Never one to get in fights, and quite a loner, she seeks to change that, but her life quickly is flipped upsidedown as she finds out that she is part faerie! I was attacted to this book because I can sympathize with the protagonist's geeky, relatable character. Call me bias, but strong POVs are really quite fun for me to read, and Paige definitely fit this role for me. Quick to argue with people she doens't trust, she is really amusing to read, if not a little annoying for her stubborness. I have to admit, although I loved her character, she kind of complains (A LOT) while she's training her fae powers in the middle. All of her quirks kind of grow on you, like a little sibling or cousin.  I found it ironic that although she's displayed as "mature" in school, as you read about her later in the faerie world of Varulean, you'll learn that she is quite immature and childish at times. I loved watching her character develop throughout the story. In the beginning she was so new to the aspct of faeries, but by the end, she was a pro; like, pshhhh, controlling nature everyday ain't no biggie. (Her powers were my favorite :)

Niahlah: This lady was just kick-ass awesome. She's so secretive and awesomely epic, you can't help but love her. Her outfits were pretty funky, too. The outfits varied from day to day (in hindsight, this is a GOOD thing, regarding hygiene). She wore thigh-high black stilletto boots a lot of the time, apparently. Most of the book displays how the relationship betwen Paige and Niahlah grows and strengthens. I can't even describe how great Niahlah is. You'd have to read the book to find out.

Rachel: I have to admit: Rachel was a psycho. Jessica McQuay cleverly incorporates both sides of the story into the narration. As we see what's going on in Paige's life, the protagonists, we also get a pook from time to time in Rachel's life, the antagonist. Rachel, well, has many, er, problems. Let's just leave it at that. Rachel is a very needy personality, but puts up a "tough girl" attitude as a front to avoid emotional pain. Yup, for those of you who know a bit of Japanese, she is a tsundere. She's a person that'll treat you coldly and quite rudely, but will actually be quite soft and vulnerable on the inside. As I have been told from the author, more of Rachel's story will be revealed in the sequel! Oh, and did I mention that she's a werewolf?

Pet Peeves:
One of my petpeeves, or annoyances about this story would probably be the slow beginning. Definitely after the first 20-50 pages, the story picks up, but before then, it's quite draggy. I feel like you'd have to be patient to get to the "good part" and not many people are that willing to do so. My impressions for the first part, if you can see above, weren't as happy as the later ones. It might just be me, but I noticed a subtle change of writing style after 100 pages or so. I don't know if this was intentional, to symbolize the maturity of Paige (the book is written in 1st person). If this was done purposefully, then great job!

One more little eensy-weensy annoyance. In the middle of the story, Paige agrees with her fae grandparents to train in the liberal fae arts and socializing before learning magic. I noticed that Paige complains a LOT, LOT, LOT for about 20-30 pages. Once I read over that hurdle, everything was smooth sailing afterwards.

Overall:
One of my favorite parts abotu the faerie world is that it's a matriarchal society, meaning women rule. This isn't common, which is why I enjoy reading about it so much. Most of the fighting characters were women, including Paige, Naialah, and Rachel. GO ESTROGEN! As you can tell, I'm a feminist. So yeah....

I really enjoyed this novel, a lot more than I thought. As I said earlier in my reading commentary, this book exceeded and shattered all my expectations tenfold! :D

Overall, Jessica McQuay creates an elegant, yet dangerous faerie world, that follows the experiences of your not-so-average highschool senior, Paige Tailor. (BTW-how is she even able to graduate highschool in the end? She goes to the faerie world for a decent chunk of time!)It's definitely worth it to give this book a try. I guarantee you'll like it (once you get past the first 50 pages or so).


Happy Reading and thanks to Jessica McQuay for chatting up a storm!

Buy Black Moon at: Amazon/ Barnes&Noble/ The Book Depository