Fun Friday! & RAT Speed Reviewing

Here's some winners -
"The Green" by Karly Kirkpatrick - Nancye
"Thoughtless" by Jacqueline Gardner - Serenity Sheild

"Untraceable" by  S.R. Johannes - McKenna from Young at Heart

Its catch-up time! 

During the Read-a-thon I read 5 books (OK I finished the last 1/3 after the RAT). 
Here are the reviews on those books.

Spell Bound

5 Stars!!!!!

Hailed as "impossible to put down," the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted. Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies-the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that's what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn't as confident. Sophie's bound for one hell of a ride-can she get her powers back before it's too late?  

My thoughts - Loved, loved, loved, loved! LOL I just love this whole series! This was the 3rd (and final?) book. Lots of action with the same characters. If you haven't read this series yet - You simply MUST! Great for young or older readers, very clean.

I Walk in Dread

4 Stars

Deliverance Trembley lives in Salem Village where she must take care of her sickly sister, Mem, and where she does her daily chores in fear of her cruel uncle's angry temper. But after four young girls from the village accuse some of the local women of being witches, the town becomes increasingly caught up in a witch hunt. When the villagers begin to realize that Deliverance is a clever girl who possesses the skills to read and write, the whispered accusations begin. Suddenly she has more to worry about than just the wrath of her uncle, her ill sister, and the fate of the other women in town. Within the pages of her diary, Deliverance captures the panic, terror, suspicion, and hysteria that swept through Salem Village during one of the most infamous eras in American history.  

My thoughts - Anyone who knows me can tell you that I love any book about "The Salem Witch Trials". While this wasn't the best Witch Trial I have read it was pretty good. It had all the facts and names and dates, there was also a nice little storyline behind it. I am a huge fan of the "Dear America" series. Great way to learn your history!

The Ghost and the Goth

4 Stars

After a close encounter with a bus, Alona Dare goes from homecoming queen to Queen of the Dead. She’s stuck as a ghost in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her to a better place. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast.

More than anything, Will wishes he didn’t have the rare ability to communicate with the dead, especially the former mean girl of Groundsboro High. He’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side, though it would bring him some welcome peace and quiet.

Can they get over their mutual distrust -- and quasi-attraction -- to work together? Readers of this spirited paranormal comedy won't want this odd couple to ever part.

My thoughts - I thought this was a pretty good ghost book. It had lots of "teen appeal", great characters, and a fun story line! I love a good ghost story, especially one where the ghost can communicate with someone. Cute book!

Dangerous Neighbors

3 Stars

It is 1876, the year of the Centennial in Philadelphia. Katherine has lost her twin sister Anna in a tragic skating accident.  One wickedly hot September day, Katherine sets out for the exhibition grounds to cut short the haunted life she no longer wants to live.

My thoughts - Beth Kephart is an excellent Author, but this was probably not the best book to read for the read-a-thon. This book was way too "deep" for that. It was a National Book Award nominee, but it did nothing for me. I found it to be very slow and boring. I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it another time and did not have to rush through it.

Teenie

5 Stars!!!!!

High school freshman Martine (Teenie for short) is a good student, with a bright future ahead of her. She's desperate to be accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in Spain so that she can see what life is like beyond the streets of Brooklyn. She wouldn't mind escaping from her strict (though lovable) parents for awhile either. But when the captain of the basketball team starts to pay attention to her after she's pined away for him for months and Cherise, her best friend, meets a guy online, Teenie's mind is on anything but her schoolwork. Teenie's longtime crush isn't what he seemed to be, nor is her best friend's online love. Can Teenie get her act together in time to save her friendship with Cherise, save her grade point average so that she can study in Spain, and save herself from a potentially dangerous relationship?

My thoughts - Excellent book! I loved everything about this book! It had a great "up-to-date" story line. There were great characters - I adored Teenie and her geeky friend Garth! I also loved mommy, she was a great mom and I liked the relationship they had. I loved the setting of this book and especially loved the language! It all seemed very authentic and very real to me! This is Christopher Grants first Novel. I do hope he keeps writing - I would love to read more from him! I very highly recommend this book!

Random Speed review (after the RAT)

4.5 Stars!

Delaney Collins doesn't believe in fairy tales. And why should she? Her mom is dead, her best friend is across the country, and she's stuck in California with "Dr. Hank," her famous life-coach father—a man she barely knows. Happily ever after? Yeah, right.
Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he's a fairy godmother—an f.g.—and he can prove it. And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary. Meaning there's a good chance that New Jersey tough girl Delaney is someone's fairy godmother.
But what happens when a fairy godmother needs a wish of her own?
  

My thoughts - Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute! This was such an adorable book to read. What a treat! It was sweet, quirky, fun, and a GREAT storyline. I loved the characters. Delaney was very negative, and sarcastic with a huge chip on her shoulders, but I loved her! Her long distance friend - Posh was hilarious! I just giggled my way through at least 1/2 of this book. This book would be great any age old or young.

Try to win my copy of this book - HERE