Chime by Franny Billingsley

Briony Larkin is wicked. She must always remember what she did. She sent a wind to knock her twin, Rose, down and she lost her wits because of it. She sent a wave to hit her stepmother which broke her spine which would have killed her if the arsenic didn't kill her first. She didn't kill herself though. Her stepmother loved life. She always protected her. Protected her from what she was. Warned her never to go to the swamp because her and the swamp are dangerous. They cause fire, water, and wind to come up and hurt everything and everyone she loves.. well she can't really say loves because she doesn't love anyone. She hates herself so how could she love anyone? It all comes down to jealousy. Jealousy of her stepmother spending more time with Rose. And for what? She ended up killing her. It ended up killing a part of her.

Now comes in the knight in shining armor right? Well sort of. Eldric the man-boy comes in with his golden mane of hair and his bad boy attitude. He becomes a friend. He actually makes her smile. He is there for her. But she's a witch. Unable to even cry much less feel that way. But why is it that he makes her want to cry?

As I got into this book I couldn't help comparing it to Plain Kate which I reviewed before. The difference was originally while I was reading that it was Plain Katey but easier to swallow. But it's more than that. The language was a bit hard to get into in the beginning especially with the self deprivation she had against herself. But I got into the story easily after that because it was unlike Plain Kate. It was about a girl who hated herself. A girl who was in pain. I just loved the story after that. I loved the tales of Wolfgirl and Lionboy. When he actually saw her it was truly magical. When she let a part of her let loose it was just fantastic. I never really thought about this till I got to the end. And oh how I loved how it just twisted into a direction completely opposite of where it said it was going. I had an inkling towards the end about what would happen but still. It unfolded beautifully.

I don't know what else I can say. Something cliched like it cast a spell on me perhaps? I guess I should go into the swamp. That's the most terrifying swamp I've ever heard of. It can just eat you up! The creatures that only she could see well.. also the Chime Girl who was no girl at all but an old woman. She had one foot in the shadow? world. The spiritual world I guess you'd say better. I just couldn't fathom from first reading this book how fantastic it was going to be. It was just that. Fantastic. I praise Billingsley with all my might! This was truly fantastic!

Rating: 5 stars

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

When Sophie Mercer was sent to monster school she had no idea what she would get into. She never thought she'd be best friends with a vampire who may or may not be killing off the school's mean girls, be haunted by a ghost who is actually her dead grandmother, or fall in love with the "pretty" boy of the school. But she did. Then a bomb was dropped on Sophie. She's a demon. And then she drops a bomb on everybody else. She wants to go through the Removal where she can get all her powers and demoness removed but the cost could be her life.

Now I'm sure you're wondering what happened with all of that. Well 6 months later she's still at Hex Hall after declaring she wanted to go through the removal. Her mom is there with Cal which sounds strange writing it now but didn't sound strange reading it so there must have been some sort of arrangement where he moved.... whatever. Her father comes to get her and she spends the summer at Thorne Abbey with...... Jenna and Cal! Yes, my friends Jenna is there. And Cal you know is just there to add to the whole love triangle thing. Hawkins sends you another of one those *gasp* moments with those two.

There are another two people thrown into the mix and they happen to be demons. "Wait. What?" you ask. "Demons are being raised?" *knowing smile*. Bwahahaha!!! Well Nick and Daisy are a strange bunch. Daisy is quiet until it's just them. The adults are just way too happy in Thorne Abbey. Creepily so. Nick is a bit wilder and you know it just by looking at him. And then of course there is the thing about Archer being in London....

So much better than the first! The other one wasn't bad at all but it even got better! The second book usually is eh compared to the first or an utter disappointed making you cry out and rant maniacally how horrible the author is and why? Why would they do this to you!? But Demonglass exceeded my expectations. My mind was blown more than once. The secrecy underneath... and then the Cal and Archer situation. I still can't decide! So many exclamation points....

Sophie again was her same sarcastic self which I am very happy about. She was what made me love Hex Hall from the beginning so I'm happy she didn't change much. She kind of grew up from the last book. She has more confidence. As you can tell from the difference in the two lovely book covers. The end is so evil! Like that's it and then I sob from wanting more. Nevertheless it was a great ending that has kept my mind occupied with different scenarios and hopefully there won't be any betrayals but I have a bad feeling that there will be which will make me rant and curse Hawkins! You know. The old standby. So you know I'm expecting Spell bound to be just as great if not better than Demonglass.

Rating: 5 stars

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

First of all there is no cat in this book so I don't know what's up with the cat in the cover. Maybe representing witchcraft? Weird.

Sophie Mercer is a witch. She's known since she was 12. 3 years ago. Her mother left her father after he confessed that he was a warlock and believing he was crazy left him but when Sophie was born she quickly learned the ways of magic and witchcraft. She is constantly worried about her and for good reason. She lived in 19 states in her short life. Finally she goes too far and her father sends her packing to Hecate Hall a.k.a. Hex Hall a boarding school for Prodigium. Prodigum are witches, faeries, and shapeshifters (not necessarily werewolves). All of the kids have been sent there on account of their bad behavior in the real world. Here at Hex Hall they will learn all about themselves and how to stop revealing their magic in front of "normal" people. And as our main character of course there comes trouble in the form of three other girl witches who claim she has great power like them and want her to join their coven. Her? A powerful witch? She's not powerful. She can't conjure any really great power and anyways it always goes wrong. These girls are particularly mean about it it too. But before that she met a smart alec boy who of course has to be totally hot and way out of her league. The type of boy every girl crushes on. And then she finds out that she's bunking with the school's outcast. The vampire who has been sent here because of a program kind of like a foreign exchange student. Oh yeah. A ghost likes to stare at her but no one else seems to see it. Will she be able to survive and fit in? For her sake she better hope so because something or someone dangerous is just lurking in the shadows having their eye on her.

Sophie's personality makes you like her instantly. I HEART witches so I'm glad her character was done right. The whole thing is kind of typical. The boy she cannot get and girls who just hate her guts. But it is also what makes it good. Going that way the author still was able to let me fall in love with the characters and the story. There are some interesting things that occur to her. The end was the most interesting of course making sure you want to read the next ones. I would have never expected it. I actually liked the love interest Archer especially since he wasn't that bad boy that I thought he was going to be. He was actually pretty sweet right away and very likable. So was Jenna the Vampire. You really felt sorry for her with all the things going on. You know I detect another love interest going on later in the books. See if you can guess who when you read it. It was a really good read and I'm pretty happy that I read it. I should be reading the others soon because honestly I haven't read a witch ya for awhile or a witch book in general and I couldn't put this one down so I'm going to grasp on that magic tightly. Here's me hoping that the others are as good as this one. Happy Reading!

P.S. I've noticed in the acknowledgement page in this one and maybe Hush, Hush that they thank authors. And basically the same authors I have read seem to be friends. Like she thanked Lindsey Leavitt- Sean Griswold's Head and Becca Fitzpatrick- Hush, Hush which I've both read and reviewed either here or somewhere else. Thought it was interesting and sweet.

                                    Rating: 4 stars

                       

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Now I've seen the movie Stardust so I'll be comparing it to the book at the end. It's basically the same thing with some differences. Every nine years there is a market outside the city of Wall. The Wall is a farming town and there is an 18 year old boy named Tristran (I'm calling him Tristan from now on like the movie) who has a sister 6 months younger than him and unbeknownst to him his mother is not his mother. His father went to this same market 18 years ago and fell in love with a woman after a gentlemen agreed to pay him for letting him stay at his house. He gives him his heart's desire I think he calls it for him and his child. His father never told him this and he has never thought to question it. His "mother" always stares at him oddly but he doesn't know why. He's fallen in love with Victoria Forester who every boy or man even has too. He will give her anything and then he promises her a fallen star that he sees. She just laughs at him but he sets out in search for the star. And when he finds it to his surprise it is not a clump of rock but a girl who is the star and so he and she set about to go to his home to his city of Wall to show her to his one true love. Unfortunately for him the star called Yvaine doesn't take to kindly to this and with her broken leg and her ever present foul mood it is hard for him to take her there. Add that to the princes of Stromhold who are chasing after because what made her fall, a topaz necklace, is the key to them being named king. Also, there are a couple of witches that want her heart to make them younger. All in all it's going to be one crazy adventure.

So I loved this movie. It was a sweet tale of love and magic. I'm glad they changed his name to Tristan in because Tristran was utterly annoying me. The name not the person. The movie was more light and funny. It was more of a family movie maybe not for the young ones though. This one has a little bit of something so I wouldn't recommend it for younger teenagers. It was pretty amusing how Tristan had one pointy ear like his mother. His mother had cat ears which you didn't see in the movie. The book and the movie had the same back story but the book of course had a little more background. The difference is the comedy of it and a little of the ending. The book didn't show that much love between the two. I mean you couldn't see it blossom. That's what I really wanted. It didn't seem much of a relationship. The writing was whimsical but it lacked what the movie could give. I still liked it but the movie was better. I have to watch it now!

                                       Rating: 3 Stars