Saturday, January 28, 2012

To Catch a Prince by Gillian McKnight -- Book Review

To Catch a Prince (To Catch a Prince & The Frog Prince)
2/5 Stars

Helene Masterson and Alexis Worth are stepsisters and best friends. When Helene lands a summer internship in London, Alexis tags along. To make their summer more interesting, the girls make a bet that one of them must hook Prince William by the end of the summer. When the girls meet Simon and Lazlo, they find their perfect matches, but will the boys get discouraged with the girls' royal distraction?
In The Frog Prince, Helene and Alexis are off to Paris after Helene's estranged father invites her to stay for the summer. Helene and Alexis set out to catch the prince of Paris, chasing him all over town, but what if he turns out to be a toad?
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My mom actually read this book before me and liked it. But when I read it, I had a lot of mixed emotions.

The characters were extremely unlikeable. They were too spoiled, too ungrateful and too catty to really like and understand. The book synopsis also pleaded their unbreakable friendship. But in these TWO books, they were probably only friends for 7 chapters collectively. Great friendship, huh?

While the premise was fun, I couldn't get into it that much. My favorite characters were probably Simon & Laszlo, the former didn't even have a chance in the second book. While I could relate better to Helene, I had no sympathy for Alexis. I do love how Helene & Laszlo's romance played out. Definitely the most, and maybe only satisfying part of the book.

This book was actually two books in one. The second one--'The Frog Prince' was the better one in my opinion. I loved the scenery (London & Paris) and the writing was higher than average. I just couldn't get past the unlikeable characters, and how everything was wrapped up in the end.

I'm not sure if I'd even recommend it to people who love prince-fiction. They make William look soooo bad! But if you're looking for a thoughtless read, give it a try.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Book Review (by Charlotte) ~ Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
TGIF everyone! Midterms are coming up this week for me, wish me any luck you can spare!

On to the point, this week I read the pretty book on the left. From the start I'd heard some mixed reviews of it. Honestly, I had lowered expectations when I started the vampire novel. I was completely blown away, this book has become somewhat of an obsession. If you are a fan of any vampire books in general, this one is no different. It's a pure obsession kind of series. Some books just have that glimmer than makes you dive into them. This was exactly so.


Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancĂ©. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.


I have to say, this has become one of my favorite books. I can't pinpoint exactly how/when this happened, but I just could never put this book down! I went through love-hate relationships with all the characters, but in the end I just loved them all over again.

If you are a lover of consistency, this may not be the book for you. I found myself willing Jessica to be stronger sometimes (she was a rather Bella-type character) and for Lucius to get a grip on things. The development in all the characters was slight. For a few chapters there was no real change at all, which was rather boring.

Again, these things normally turn me off a book, in this case it kept me reading. The end was a little messy, plot-structure wise. It is not a literature work of art, but definitely give it a chance!

4/5 Stars.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar ChildrenMiss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

This book was unlike anything else, to say the least. First off, the actual layout of the book completely reflected the book itself. It was epic. You had old photographs, chapter-markings that looked like old wallpaper, and some flipped upside-down text. If you want to display any book, this is definitely the one.

Getting back to the photographs, the story really did revolve around them. They were so eery and intriguing, it was probably my favorite part of the book.
The story itself was extraordinary. But I felt like everything was packed into the last 50 pages of the book. I was overwhelmed by what happened and how unresolved it was by the end. If I didn't know a second book was coming out, I would be extremely unsatisfied. Since there is a second one scheduled for 2013, it's /okay/.

All the characters were very unique and worthy of your reading. Millard was probably my favorite character. I felt for Jacob and Emma but not enough to care if they got hurt. I'd love to see a little more character development.

As for everything else, it was truly peculiar. (I just had to say that, okay?!)

4/5 Stars