#12 Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry is one of those timeless romantic stories along the lines of Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story.  Alex is a gang member from the south side of town.  Brittany is the captain of the cheerleading squad and is dating the captain of the football team.  In their senior chemistry class, Brittany and Alex are paired up as partners.  They have no choice but to work together to complete the project for the year.  Brittany's grades have always been perfect (Brittany has always been perfect), and she fears that Alex is going to mess that up.  But even though they shouldn't, Brittany and Alex are drawn to each other and start dating.  This causes problems for both of them with their families and friends.

This is a really well written book.  I highly recommend it.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#11 Burned by P.C. and Kristin Cast

At the end of the last book, Zoey and her friends had gone to Italy to meet with the Vampyre High Council and to confront Kalona and Neferet once again.  Neferet has most of the High Council under her spell and is convincing them that she is Nyx incarnate and the Kalona is Erebus.  Aphrodite is having visions of Zoey's death and of evil taking over the world.  Unfortunately, Heath gets in the way of Kalona and is killed.  Zoe is a witness to this and when she sees it happen, her soul is shattered.  The only way to save Zoey is for Stark to enter the Otherworld and help her repair her soul.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#10 Tempted by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Kalona and Neferet have been banished from Tulsa, but Zoey and her friends know that this is not the end of their battle.  They return to the House of Night to begin rebuilding the school, but most of the students are still being influenced by the power of Kalona.  Stevie Rae is still keeping the bad red fledglings a secret from Zoey and she has another secret hidden also.  As they all recover it becomes apparent that they are going to have to go to Italy for another, hopefully final confrontation with Kalona and Neferet.  But first they have to meet with the Vampyre High Council.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#7, 8, & 9 - House of Night Series

Sorry I've been a little slow in posting.  I'm trying to finish up the House of Night series by P.C. Cast.  After these three books, I have two more to finish.  I notice I really need to write these right after I finish the book or I can't remember the details well.  Be aware, if you are going to read the series, you might not want to read the reviews!

#7 - 'Chosen' - Zoe becomes friends with Aphrodite because they both notice the darkness surrounding the High Priestess Neferet.  And for some reason, Neferet cannot read their minds.  With Stevie Rae's death, a new member must be added to the council and to the circle.  Zoe finds that Aphrodite has an affinity for Earth and she is asked to join.  This does not go over well with the others in the circle: Damien (Air), Erin (Fire), and Shaunee (Water), but it is important for the circle to be complete.  Zoe is fully imprinted with Heath, her human boyfriend; is dating Erik Night; and is fooling around with the Vampire Poet Laureate Loren Blake.  This of course complicates everything as she is trying to keep everyone separate. While Zoe is trying to help Stevie Rae (who is now undead) regain her humanity, someone is killing vampires and the blame is placed on humans from the People of Faith Church.  Neferet declares a war on humans!

#8 - 'Untamed' - Zoe's friends are mad at her because she has been keeping secrets.  She has a good reason though.  Neferet can read her friends minds, so if she tells them everything, her plans might be discovered.  Zoe is no longer imprinted with Heath after a one night stand with Loren Blake (who is now dead) and Erik has become a full vampire and is really ticked off at Zoe for having so many boyfriends around.  Zoe and Aphrodite are able to help Stevie Rae get her humanity back, but in exchange Aphrodite loses her affinity for Earth as well as her Mark!  But Aphrodite is still having visions and they uncover a long lost Cherokee legend about a fallen angel named Kalona.

#9 - 'Hunted' - Kalona and Neferet are posed to take over the House of Night and eventually the World.  They are accompanied by Raven Mockers who are part human, part bird.  They are evil and vicious creatures who are following Zoe around and have attacked her twice!  Zoe and her friends all team up together and run from the House of Night and hid in the tunnels under Tulsa where Stevie Rae and her red fledglings have been staying.  Here they make plans to fight Kalona, but in an unfortunate incident, Zoe is seriously injured by a Raven Mocker and must return to the House of Night to recover.  When they arrive, they see that almost everyone is under the hypnotic power of Kalona and no one sees the evil around them.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#6 Lies by Michael Grant

'Lies' is the 3rd book in the 'Gone' series and while it is the only one of the books that I can count in this blog, I'm still going to review all three.

'Gone' - In a flash all adults and children over the age of 15 have disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, CA.  There is no access to the outside world.  No tv, no phones, no internet.  As the children try to discover what happened, they find that they are enclosed in a kind of bubble which stretches about 20 miles in all directions from Perdido Beach.  No one know how to escape or how long they will be trapped in this strange environment, but the kids have to learn to survive on their own. They quickly discover that their has to be some order to their world or they will soon run out of food.  They search the houses, cars and building of town to collect the food and other necessities like diapers for the very young.  They set up a day care center for those under 6 years old.  They form families, or small groups who rely on each other.  But not everyone wants to get along.  Some want to fight and have all the power.  Add to that, some of the children have begun developing strange powers.  And there is something in the desert that is evil and is calling to them.

In 'Hunger' the fight for survival in Perdido Beach continues.  The food is running out.  No one wants to be in charge.  And the 'freaks', or kids with special powers, and the 'normals' are not getting along.  The evil creature in the desert is known as the gaiaphage and it is in a deadly fight to control the kids minds.

Now, in 'Lies', things are going from bad to worse.  Sam is one of the town leaders and he has the power to shoot light from his hands.  Sam uses this power to protect the kids, but some see him as a freak and think he should taken out.  The 'normals' are looking for a way to take over the town and they are recruited by the rich kids from the private school  to burn the town.  While the town is burning the rich kids sneak through town, steal the emergency boats, and head for some islands off shore in search of food. While this is going on, Sam runs across a girl who was dead and buried, but is now walking around town.  The kids don't realize that the gaiaphage, that they thought was dead, has brought the girl back to live along with another evil and terrible boy who has a hand like a whip (Drake).  The gaiaphage is again trying to control the kids minds to the point that they will kill themselves.  Also in this third book the reader is giving a peak at the world outside of the Perdido Beach bubble, know as the FAYZ by the kids (Fall-out Alley Youth Zone)

I just read that this is a 6 part series and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.  The series is fast paced and hard to put down because you want to know what is going to happen.  Make sure you start with the first book 'Gone'.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#5 Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Zoey's powers are growing and she is starting to feel more at home at the House of Night School.  But she is also finding that something is being hidden and whatever it is, it's not good.  Three students had died in the last month, and Zoey has seen their ghosts or something wandering the grounds of the the school.  Neferet is also lying about something and Zoey gets the feeling that she should not share all she know with the High Priestess.  As the holidays approach, Zoey must organize and lead her first Full Moon Ritual which brings with it some surprises and another death!

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#4 Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

The House of Night series was recommended to me by several students. 'Marked' is the first in a long series. I'm not sure what to write about the book. The writing is not great and some of the sexual references seem a bit to vulgar to me, but the story itself has hooked me enough that I had to start the second book. In 'Marked', vampires are not that unusual and everyone knows about them. In fact, most of the major movie stars are vampires. A person is marked when they are about 16 years old. Once they are marked, they must go to live at a House of Night school until they complete the physiological change to being a vampire. If they do not complete the change, they die. Zoe is a student at a Broken Arrow intermediate school and she is sort of dating the BA quarterback. When she is marked her friends turn their backs on them as she moves into the House of Night school in Tulsa. Here she discovers that not only is she to become a vampire, but she possesses gifts never seen before in a 'fledgling'. She has power over the 5 elements: wind, fire, water, earth and spirit. This marks her as a high priestess in training. If you like to read vampire stories, you will enjoy the House of Night series. There is even a website to go along with the books:  http://www.houseofnightseries.com/

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

# 3 Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer

This is the 7th book in the Bloody Jack series and I hate to admit it, but I missed reading #6. I'll have to go back and pick that one up. But I was still up to speed enough to read 'Rapture of the Deep'. Jackie Faber is 16 years old and on the cusp of getting married to her lifetime love, Jamie Fletcher, when she is kidnapped by the British Naval Intelligence and charged with theft from the King of England. Her only escape from hanging is if she will assist the British Navy in recovering the gold from a Spanish ship that has sunk off the coast of Key West. The British send a Navy ship to watch over her (because Jacky is known to play tricks) and to assist her in recovering the treasure. On board is the first diving bell to help Jacky in reaching the wreck at the bottom of the ocean. Nothing ever goes quite by plan for Jacky and she is soon mixed up with the Spanish Navy, Pirates, alligators and much more that could interfere with the treasure hunt.

If you haven't read any of the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer, it's best if you start at the beginning to get a idea of the character of Jackie Faber. If only I was born in this time period, I would want to be a pirate too!

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#2 Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors and if you haven't ready any of her Gallagher Girl books then start at the beginning and catch up. 'Only the Good Spy Young" is the fourth in the series about a posh girls' boarding house where the girls are being trained to be.....spies. Cammie is a junior and because of her parents' spy careers, she is the target of a group of terrorists know as the Circle of Cavan. They have already made one kidnapping attempt on Cammie and when she returns to school after Winter Break, the Gallagher Academy is on complete lock down to keep anyone from getting her. But that doesn't help Cammie who wants to know why they want her. She and her room mates continue to search for clues as to who is involved in the Circle and if it involves one of their former teachers.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

#1 Going Bovine by Libba Bray

This book is on the 2011 Sequoyah YA list and I have to read all the Sequoyah books so I can promote them with my students. 'Going Bovine' is the story of 16 year old Cameron who has just been diagnosed with the human version of Mad Cow Disease. Basically, the disease is eating holes in his brain and there is no cure. While in the hospital, he sees an angel, named Dulcie, who convinces him that there is a cure if he can just find Dr. X. So Cameron takes off to find Dr. X and takes his hospital roommate, Gonzo along for the ride. Dulcie didn't tell Cameron how to find Dr. X, just that he needed to follow clues that he finds along the way. The journey takes them to New Orleans, visits a cult, and ends up in Florida. Along the way the story bounces back to the hospital, leaving you to wonder if Cameron is imagining all that is happening. The book is interesting and I had to keep reading to find out what was really going on, but it was also confusing. I gave it 4 stars on my Goodreads list.

The links on the side to Amazon are for your information.  I am an Amazon Associate, and anything you purchase from those links will benefit me.  But that doesn't mean you have to buy anything.

Day 1

Here I go. Today is the start of One hundred books a year. The book I am currently reading is Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I need to finish it by this weekend to stay on target. Once I'm finished, I will write a review so you will know more about the book. Most of my books will be Young Adult, but there will be other genres mixed in as I go along. Wish me luck!